Avatar: The Rise of Darkness
by DPhantom88
Summary: Four years of war has ravaged the world. As the war comes to a close, the Gaang and their kids embark on a journey that will forever set their futures and the future of the world. Canon pairings. Sequel to Avatar: The New Legend.
1. The Battle of Omashu pt 1: The Coalition

**Avatar: The Rise of Darkness**

**Chapter 1:**

**The Battle of Omashu part 1: The Coalition**

It was a clear, bright sunny, spring day in the Shu mountains. A hawk flew gracefully through the sun as it rode up the thermals in the air, gliding over the mountain tops. An otherwise beautiful day.

Suddenly a fireball flew through the air followed by dozens more. The peaceful blue sky is replaced by smoke and fire resonating from the battle.

Omashu, the once proud city and capital of the Western Earth Kingdom, now was the center and base of operations for the Alliance of Separatists. For four years they waged war with the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation in a dire struggle to break away from those nations. They were not met without resistance. Throughout those four years, the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and the Water Tribe united to take up arms against the Separatists to preserve the delicate balance so many have sacrificed for over the years.

During those four years the Coalition of Nations, as they were called, sent thousands to full out war. There were casualties on both sides, and the Separatists had the upper hand for the first few years, but this last year the tides changed and the war turned to the Coalition's favor. And now, the final battle to end the war laid in Omashu…

The fireballs continued to be lobbed and hurled from Omashu's main artillery defense at the ten airships that surrounded the city. The airships, manufactured by the Fire Nation, slowly encompassed and closed in on the city but were unable to get in close due to the heavy fire.

**Sokka. Airship Alpha. **

Major General Sokka stood aboard the capital airship and command post for the invasion. Not only was Sokka now a Major General, the highest ranking person in the Water Tribe, but he was also named the Commander of the Coalition forces not long after the war started. It was a title he took with much humility, but could not turn down. He was by far the best, most innovative military leader and strategist.

Sokka surveyed the battle scene below him, scratching his chin intuitively to decide what to do. As he did, a fireball flew right past them, narrowly missing the bridge.

"Take us up higher," Sokka instructed the pilot, "Get us out of range from their artillery."

"Aye, sir," the pilot nodded and pulled a lever to increase the heat in the balloon.

Sokka grabbed a small device and held up to his mouth to speak.

"All airships ascend to seven thousand feet," he told the other captains of the airships.

The device was something the Mechanist rigged up to communicate over long distances called a radio. It was crude and only used in battle for the first time here, but it has worked wonders for coordinating a large scale invasion such as this. It had a small range and could only be used one way, forcing Sokka to have the transmitting end while the other squadrons and airships had the receiving end.

The airships did as he instructed and began to ascend higher into the air. One, however, was caught in the cross fire of several Separatist fireballs.

"Airship Chang," Sokka called out on the radio, "get out of there!"

It was too late. The first fireball hit the base of the airship, rocking it on contact. The ship would've survived had it not been for second and third strikes which both hit the back rudders and the balloon itself. The airship exploded and was engulfed in flames as it came crashing down into the deep gorge below.

Sokka frowned and looked back up at the rest of the battlefield. In battle, there was no use in lamenting what could have happened. The other ships rose safely up, high out of range for their artillery.

Sokka picked up the radio, "Air squadrons, prepare for launch."

The bomb bay doors swung open above the city. Below, the Separatist soldiers ducked and ran for cover, expecting bombs to come falling down on them. Unfortunately for them, there were no bombs. A dozen motorized gliders, courtesy of Teo and his father, soared out of airships Alpha, Bravo, and Delta, and descended towards Omashu.

Each glider was armed with two bombs and their mission was to attack and disable the Separatist's artillery.

Teo was in command of all air units and operated from Alpha Squadron. His right hand man, well woman, was none other than Sokka's eldest daughter, Jian. At the young age of seventeen, she quickly became the best pilot and was regarded all around the world as a war hero.

Jian smirked as she descended down towards the city.

"Let's have some fun," she smirked.

Teo turned to her from the next glider over and shouted, "Alright, Lieutenant Jian, fall back and take the second half of the squad. You know the drill."

Jian nodded, "Got it, Captain."

She pulled the yoke back and flew up into the air doing a single flip and falling back into formation with her unit. She and her unit slowed down some and allowed Teo's to pull ahead.

Below them, the Separatists frantically prepared for the gliders.

"Load the anti-aircraft weapons!" a Separatist commander ordered his soldiers.

Back with the gliders, Teo focused his attention on the target. They were coming up close to the outer wall where the majority of the catapults were. Large fireballs were shot at them, which they easily swerved out of the way and evaded. Those things were mostly used for taking down slow, giant airships, not the small, quick gliders. Teo smirked, they were going to have to try better than that.

Unfortunately he smirked too soon. Two fireballs were fired at them, only this time they exploded in midair, releasing hundreds of fist sized pellets that flew through the air.

Teo raised his eyebrows in shock, "Cluster bombs!" he yelled to the rest of his squad.

The squad broke formation as they attempted to evade the cluster bombs fired at them. Most were successful, however one pilot couldn't pull away in time and was hit by several pellets. They tore through him and his glider like paper, and he careened down into the gorge below.

Jian skillfully navigated through the pellets with expert precision. She smirked cockily over the ease of it all.

"Too easy."

Another cluster bomb was lobbed at them and exploded nearly point blank in front of her.

"Pull up!" she shouted at her unit.

Her unit was quick to react and evade, but one wasn't so lucky. As he tried to pull up out of the way, his tail got peppered by dozens of little pellets sending him careening out of control. He spun and fell through the air like a brick, crashing into the outer wall.

Teo looked behind him at his subordinate's unit and breathed a sigh of relief. Most of them were alive. He turned forward. They were nearing the wall now.

"Ready the first bomb!" he shouted to his pilots.

He brushed the tips of his fingers on the release lever and waited patiently to get in range.

"Steady…" he called out to the other pilots.

He licked his lips in anticipation.

On the wall, both firebenders and earthbenders began to shoot their respective elements at them.

Teo and his pilots carefully evaded whatever they threw at them until they came in range to return fire. They came upon the wall.

"Fire!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

He pulled the release lever and dropped his first bomb. The bomb sank like a rock towards the wall. The Separatists dove for cover, but it was too late. The explosion rocked the wall and destroyed everything in range, followed by several more explosions from the other pilots' bombs. Catapults, ammunition, and soldiers were not spared as the bombs dropped on them from overhead. Debris and soldiers were thrown about through the air along with fire and smoke.

Teo's unit flew past overhead. He looked back and cheered at the direct hits his unit made.

Jian rolled her eyes as Teo's unit passed over the wall.

"Could've left me some," she muttered before shouting out to her pilots, "Alright, get ready!"

She flew hard towards the Separatists on the wall. Within minutes they were in range.

"Fire!" she shouted as loud as possible.

She pulled the release for the bomb and it fell down, destroying much of what Teo's unit missed. A similar wave of destruction occurred, only this time there was nothing but smoke and fire left on the wall.

"Ha ha!" she cheered, "Take that you jerks!"

Her unit flew over the city and came upon the wall to the middle level. There, instead of heavy artillery, was platoons of Separatist firebenders and earthbenders who shot their elements towards them. She turned the yoke and evaded most of them, but a pilot behind her wasn't so lucky. A blast of fire shot forth and collided with his glider. His wings combusted and he screamed as his glider came crashing down to the surface of the first level.

"Take 'em out!" Jian shouted at her unit.

They pulled up high into the air, then dove back down, dropping their bombs on the second level wall. As they did, one Separatist managed to fire off a rocket which blew up another glider in midair.

Jian frowned. They were deep in enemy territory without weapons, and were losing men fast. She circled her arm in the air signaling the rest of her unit to head back to the airship to rearm. She pulled up and headed back to Airship Alpha, with her unit in tow behind her.

**Rozin and Tom. Airship Echo.**

Rozin waited patiently, watching the battle unfold from the bomb bay doors below him. He breathed in to calm and steady himself. He was a member of the Firebender Strike Force. He's fought in dozens of battle before, this was no different.

"Lieutenant Rozin," a female voice said to him, "are you, of all people, nervous before battle?"

He turned around to see his good friend and fellow soldier, Asmin standing there with a smirk on her face.

He raised an eyebrow, "Nervousness is what the Separatists should be feeling right now, not the Fire Prince. And remember your place, _Sergeant_."

She rolled her eyes, "You would still be a private if it wasn't for the battle of Igneous Island."

His uncle, Major Tom, walked up, "Alright, troops, just got word from Commander Sokka. We're going in by parachute. They're going to drop us over the palace. Our objective is simple; secure the palace until the infantry arrives. Watch your backs. I don't want a repeat of what happened at Wuan, got it?"

The soldiers answered in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Tom nodded, "Alright, mount up!"

The firebenders slung their parachute packs over their backs and prepared for battle.

"Good luck," Rozin said to Asmin with a smirk, "I'll try not to take out all the Separatists this time."

"Ready drop!" Tom shouted.

Everyone moved to the edge.

Asmin smirked back at Rozin, "Bet you I'll get more than you."

"You're on," Rozin said confidently.

"Alright," Tom shouted, "Three… two… one… jump!"

All twenty troops jumped out of the airship. They were nearly a thousand feet up over the palace. Below them, they could see the last of the glider squadrons return to their airships for rearmament.

Rozin recognized one pilot leading a small unit heading back to Airship Alpha as his old friend, Jian. She recognized him too and waved good luck at him. He nodded and waved back as he continued his freefall.

They were close to the palace. Any minute now they would pull their parachutes and land in the heart of the enemy's lair.

"Get ready…" Tom shouted below him.

Rozin held his breath.

"Go!"

Rozin, along with the other soldiers pulled their release on the chutes. His opened up and jerked up back, pulling him out of the freefall. He looked down and saw the Separatist soldiers only a few hundred feet below, mass and get ready for the attack.

"This is going to be a rough one, guys," Tom shouted.

They were now only a hundred feet above the palace. The enemy firebenders were the first to strike, shooting balls of fire at them. However, their attacks were easily deflected by the most elite firebending unit in the world.

Tom was the first to land, followed quickly by the rest of his troops. As soon as they hit the ground, they sprung into action, taking down every enemy in sight.

**Kya. Eastern Omashu**

Kya landed with twenty of her waterbending brothers and sisters. She had just jumped with the Waterbending Infiltrators into the heat of battle. She had just turned fifteen a month ago and this was her first major battle. To say she was nervous, would be an understatement. She was terrified, yes, but also uplifted due to the adrenaline of running head-first into battle. She wasn't alone for she fought along side the best waterbenders of the North and South Poles, and was lead by her mother, Katara, herself.

"On your left, Kya!" Katara yelled as an earthbender kicked a boulder at her.

Katara quickly bent some water out her pouch and created a wave big enough to catch the boulder and send it back to the earthbender. Her counterattack caught him off guard and he was hit square in the chest by his own attack. Katara then turned to three others and took them down with a single large water tentacle.

Six Face Stealers landed around her and tried to attack. She quickly swirled some water around her into octopus formation. She reached out with the tentacles and knocked away every Face Stealer that tried to attack her. Every one that was knocked away, was finished off by the rest of her team. Once the area was clear, she recollected the water around her arms and turned to motion for the rest of the Infiltrators to follow her down the steps.

"Come on!" a waterbender named Konoke motioned for Kya to follow.

Kya ran, with the rest of her unit, down the steps into a large courtyard. A dozen warriors and benders waited there for them.

Kya fanned out like the rest of her squad and engaged a single opponent. Unlike firebenders, who worked well in unison, waterbenders were better solo fighters.

Her first opponent was a firebender, more specifically a Face Stealer. Man, she hated these guys. He shot a couple fireballs at her, which she easily deflected. She returned with creating a wall of water and pushing it at him. The Face Stealer ducked out of the way, but right into Kya's trap. She quickly bent some water from a nearby ostrich-horse trough and sent it crashing into him. The Face Stealer grunted as the force of the water pushed him back against the wall. Kya quickly froze it, trapping and cocooning him inside.

She smirked and turned to her next victim. She recollected her water and quickly wrapped a tentacle around a spearman's leg. She twisted it and sent him flying back behind her to crash into a wall.

Kya moved forward and grabbed another Face Stealer by the waist and pulled him in close. She gathered a water-whip and smacked him several times across the face before throwing him hard against the wall. She pulled back the water and watched as the dazed Face Stealer wobbled on his feet before collapsing into a pile of ostrich-horse manure.

Another Face Stealer snuck up behind her and shot a blast of flames at her. She spun around quickly and deflected the blast with a water-shield, then pushed the wall of water towards him. The wall not only hit him, but three other surprised Face Stealers. She slammed the wall of water against the edge of a building and froze the entire thing, trapping them inside.

She looked around for more enemies and saw four soldiers staring at her in awe. Kya smirked and looked at each of them.

"Who next?" she taunted.

The soldiers looked at each other and shook their heads, then ran off down the steps to another part of the city.

Kya lowered her arms, "That's what I thought."

"Nice work, Kya," Katara put her hand on her shoulder, "I've trained you well. Now let's go see if those firebenders need any help."

Kya nodded and ran with her mother and the rest of the Infiltrators.

**Suki, Zek, and Shaola. Western Omashu. **

Suki lead the way through Western Omashu with thirty of her warriors behind her, and Zek and Shaola bringing up the rear. Her unit was called the United Warriors, a select group of the best warriors from each nation. She personally had been fighting in the war since it's beginning, but her daughter and the younger Fire Prince, Zek, had recently joined a few months prior.

Right now, their duty was to clear a path from the west up to the palace. Not too unusual for her little group for they were usually the first into combat. A rocket hit the side of a building and separated Zek and Shaola from the rest of the unit. Suki looked around her as Dai Li agents leaped from the rooftops and landed around them. Zek and Shaola, however, were cut off by some elite firebenders. It was a trap.

One of the firebenders shot a large ball of fire at Shaola.

"Look out!" he yelled and dove at her.

He tackled her down and pushed her into an alley.

She frowned at him, "I could've stopped it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered, not really paying attention to what she said.

He looked around. They needed cover. He spied a Cabbage Merchant cowering in the corner, guarding his cabbage cart. Zek smirked and began to pull the cart away from the poor merchant.

"Ahh!" the Cabbage Merchant screamed and grabbed the cart, "what are you doing?!"

Zek rolled his eyes, he didn't have time for this nonsense. He pulled out one of his broadswords as a warning.

"I'm taking this," Zek warned and rolled the cart away from him.

A firebender stood in front of the alley and got ready to shoot a fireball at an unsuspecting Zek.

"Zek, look out!" Shaola yelled and jumped in front of the firebender.

She jabbed him once in the shoulder with her sai, then side kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying back across the street.

She smirked, then looked to her left as six more firebenders ran towards her.

"Uh-oh," her smirk disappeared and she ran back into the alley.

She ducked behind Zek, who was struggling to block the alley with the cart.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry," she said frantically, "What's taking so long?!"

Zek rolled his eyes, "Just doing this for dramatic effect."

He pushed it right where he wanted without a second to loose. A firebender jumped into the alley and shot a fire-blast at them. Zek grabbed Shaola and the Cabbage Merchant, and pulled them behind the cabbage cart. The blast ignited the exposed cabbages on top, but otherwise left them completely unharmed.

"No!" the Cabbage Merchant screamed, "My cabbages!"

Zek rolled his eyes, "Will you shut up about the stupid cabbages?"

The firebender shot another blast of fire at the cart, this time destroying much of the top half.

Zek peeked around the side of the cart to get a visual. A firebender shot at him again, but he ducked and the blast ignited a nearby wooden crate.

He looked at Shaola, "Looks like we got four of them. If I can shoot them with the darts, we can fight our way through the rest of them and the Dai Li."

Shaola nodded, "Got it."

He was about to stand up, but she pulled him down to eye level and kissed him.

"Be safe," she said.

Zek smiled softly and jumped up. He quickly extended his arms and shot a dart from each arm, hitting them with deadly accuracy. The two firebenders fell down, dead. Zek rolled forward, dodging their fire, and jumping back up to fire two more darts. The poison tipped darts stuck each firebender in the neck, killing them quickly.

He turned to Shaola, "Come on!"

Shaola emerged from behind the cart and joined him at the corner of the alley with her sai drawn, ready for action. Zek drew his broadswords and turned to Shaola.

"Ready?" he looked at his girlfriend.

She nodded, "Let's do this."

They both jumped out into the street with their weapons drawn on the surprised Dai Li.

Zek quickly cut down the nearest Dai Li agent, then rushed forward towards the others. Another Dai Li agent shot a couple rock pellets at him, which he deflected with his swords. He got close enough to the agent and swung his swords simultaneously, cutting off both his arms. He spun and finished him off by slicing across his chest.

Shaola also was doing fine on her own. A Dai Li agent shot a rock fist at her, but she easily dodged it. She got up under him and stabbed him once in the leg, and under the arm. The agent gasped, then fell to the ground.

Suki watched as her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend fought and took down the Dai Li agents. She turned around and finished off the agent she was fighting earlier with a quick kick to the head.

She looked back and saw the young couple work together to finish off the last Dai Li agent.

Zek smirked and glanced over at Shaola, "Nice work."

Shaola smiled and brushed back a strand of hair from her face, "Yeah, you too."

They gazed in each other's eyes while the war erupted around them.

Suki put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat, and the two teens quickly averted their eyes from each other.

"You know, I didn't assign you both to my unit to make kissy faces at each other," Suki raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry Mom," Shaola scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"Yeah…," Zek imitated her.

Suki shook her head, "Come on, let's move up to the palace."

Everyone nodded in unison and they headed up to the stairs to the next level of the city, en route to the palace.

**Azula. Omashu Caverns. **

Azula paced up and down the large, dimly lit cavern. It was their secret hideaway and bunker. She anticipated an attack earlier, so when the airships first arrived she ordered the Separatist leaders to relocate down there. All of them sat there, along with their leader, Long Feng. Few Fire Nation Separatists were among them due to the loss of their territory last year.

"So what's the plan, Princess?" Long Feng growled, "You claimed this city was impenetrable, yet multiple forces have landed."

"It's over," a rich Separatist named Huang panicked, "We've lost, we're done!"

"Be quiet," a Ba Sing Se mob boss named Gao sneered, "It's not over until we say it is."

"It doesn't matter," Long Feng said, "Any moment now, the Avatar will be here and this war will be finished."

"You're right," Azula stated, "if he shows up everything will be ruined. If we are to continue operations, all of you and your forces need to relocate and split up. If we spread ourselves around the globe it would be harder for them to stop us. Long Feng, I want you in the Meishon Forest for the time being."

"The Meishon Forest?!" Long Feng spat, "How can I possibly be of use there?"

"Next to me, you are the most sought after Separatist," Azula stated, "The less you're seen, the better it will be."

Long Feng nodded, "Very well."

Azula glanced at some of the others, "Rafi, I want you to relocate back with your tribe in the Si Wong desert."

Rafi bowed, "Yes, my lady."

She turned to General Sheng, the last of the Fire Nation Separatists, and controller of a third of their army.

"General Sheng, you are going to Fort Timbu on the Western Serpent River along with what's left of your troops."

"Of course, my lady," Sheng bowed.

She turned to Huang and Gao, "You two are going to the Chrystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se. You have the most important job of keeping the finances safe. Do not fail me."

Gao bowed, "We won't, Princess."

"What about you?" Huang nervously asked.

"You'll hear from me," she answered, "Now go. There's a few balloons tied on the slopes below. Go, the Avatar will be here shortly."

The Separatists stood up from their seats and exited the large cavern, down to the balloons.

Azula sat down in a meditative position and closed her eyes to concentrate on her breathing, while her Face Stealers stood guard around her.

**Toph, Lao, and Lin. The Main Gate. **

"Push forward!" General Toph shouted to her earthbenders.

There were only fifteen remaining earthbenders in her unit against the Separatist forces that stood between them and the main gate, and outnumbered them three to one. They had created a rock wall as a shield to protect them as they were being shelled by multiple fireballs.

"There's too many of them," Lao said, struggling to hold the rock shield together.

"Push!" Toph yelled.

The earthbender worked together and pushed the wall forward. The firebenders outside backed up as they fired at the wall, but to no avail. They were useless against it.

The earthbenders pushed it harder. They were now only a couple yards from the gate.

"Lao, you're with me," Toph said, "The rest of bring down that gate."

She and Lao burst through the rock wall and quickly turned onto the firebenders in front of them.

Toph made quick work of them by making some earth-pillars to pop up under them and knock them into the air.

She and Lao quickly ran up the separate stair cases to the top of the gate. Toph took out anyone in front of her with ease by either knocking them off the wall, or trapping them in the stone below them.

Lao had a different strategy. He proceeded to either crush his enemies with his boulders, or knock them clear off the wall and into the gorge on the other side.

They both reached the top at the same time and easily defeated the Face Stealers at the tops of the gate, sending most of them to their deaths at the bottom of the gorge below.

Lao and Toph stood back to back and fended off various attacks of earth, fire, water, and arrows. Lao crouched down and stood up, raising the stone below the Separatist's feet and throwing them off the wall. Toph, meanwhile, stretched her arms forward and mentally grabbed hold of the stone wall. She shook and slowly lowered her arms. With her arms lowering, the wall under the Separatists shuddered and eventually gave way. A plume of dust pillowed as that portion of the wall collapsed and came crashing down, taking the Separatists with them.

Toph relaxed and smirked as she saw the wall crash down.

"That's how it's done," she smiled satisfyingly.

She jumped down in front of the gate, which still hasn't been opened.

"What gives?" she motions at the gate.

"It's a metal gate, General Toph," an earthbender stated, "and there's no lever."

"Oh, move aside," Toph shoved him aside and walked up to the gate.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her hands together. Then, she punched into the wall, denting it. She punched it three more time, tearing a hole in it. She then grabbed both sides of the gate and tore it down like paper. She threw the remains of the gate down into the gorge. Once the gate was down, she stomped on the ground below her and extended her arms out. A bridge of sandstone extended out and connected with the cliffs on the other side where the Coalition's infantry stood.

**Sokka. Airship Alpha.**

Sokka stared down at the main entrance and saw Toph's bridge extend to the cliffs on the other side. He reached up and grabbed the radio.

"Infantry commanders," he said into it, "the bridge is drawn. Commence invasion on the city and rendezvous at the palace."

He put back the radio with a grin on his face. He slapped the pilot on the shoulder.

"We're on the way to victory!"

**Cliffside. **

Two lone men flew off the cliff on their gliders. One of those gliders was motorized, while the other was an antique way of flying by using airbending. And there was only one person in the whole world who could do that; Avatar Aang.

Aang flew down towards the city with his wing man following close behind him in the motorized glider. His was contorted with determination and drive. Aang looked behind him to see none other than his old friend, Fire Lord Zuko himself, tailing him.

Zuko looked forward with as much determination on his face as Aang's. He looked up and nodded at his friend.

Aang turned and faced forward to begin his descent to the city. The war was going to end today. He can feel it. It had to.

**A/N: Here it is, the sequel to Avatar: The New Legend. The next half will be up shortly. Enjoy! More to come, soon to follow.**


	2. The Battle of Omashu pt 2: The Folly

**Chapter 2**

**The Battle of Omashu pt. 2: The Folly**

**Aang and Zuko. Over Omashu**

Aang lead the way down on his glider with Zuko following closely behind on his. They were in the heat of battle. Although their forces have landed and taken certain parts of the city, there were still many Separatist battlements in place, particularly the dozens of catapults that launched surface to air attacks on them.

A fireball was launched right at them. Aang took a deep breath to calm himself. He glared at it as it soared towards them. He airbended himself higher in the air and collapsed his glider. Moving quickly, he spun around and created a gust of wind powerful enough knock the fireball off course and send it crashing down onto the hapless Separatists below. With a flick, his glider snapped back open and he continued on flying.

More giant fireballs and cluster bombs flew randomly in the air. It was complete chaos and anarchy in the skies, but they had to do it. Aang decided very early on that as soon as they invaded Omashu he would go in and stop Azula. She was public enemy number one, and their biggest priority towards ending the war. The longer she remained free, the longer and more costlier the war would be.

A cluster bomb exploded fifty feet in front of them. Aang spun and evaded the pellets with ease. Zuko however, not used to flying, had some trouble maneuvering through the shrapnel. He made a couple jerky swerves and narrowly evaded the airborne pellets.

Zuko shook his head, surprised he wasn't clipped.

"Gods, I hate flying," Zuko grumbled to himself, then turned to Aang, "Why'd I decide to fly with you anyway? I hate flying."

"You know a better way to get to their bunker?" Aang shouted back.

Their intelligence forces managed to infiltrate Omashu a couple weeks earlier. They informed them of a series of caverns that were carved out below Omashu for what they could only guess was an escape bunker of sorts. If Zuko knew Azula, and he did almost too well, she would rather hide out in a bunker and escape than risk capture or death. Especially if the odds were against her. And today the odds were _definitely _against her.

They flew down and weaved their way around the building as they flew ridiculously low to avoid surface to air attacks. While some of the Coalition's Special Forces were already engaged in combat, the main infantry was still on the other side of the gorge. Aang weaved effortlessly out of the way of a rocket that was shot at them from a soldier on the surface.

"How much further?" Aang called to Zuko.

"They said the entrance was on the east side of the palace," Zuko answered.

Aang spied one of the rock slides the people of Omashu used to deliver their mail on his right. He followed the slide up and noticed it lead straight to the southern facing part of the palace. Being in an enclosed slide like that would allow them to fly faster and avoid any enemy fire.

Aang pointed up the slide and turned to make sure Zuko got the message. Zuko looked at the slide and turned back to Aang, then nodded once.

Aang hooked his glider to the right barreled down to the slide. He reached the base and pulled up, leveling himself out as he shot up through the slide, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

Zuko tried to imitate Aang's maneuver, but wasn't nearly as skilled a pilot. He scrapped the base of his glider against the sandstone slide, shooting sparks from under him. He grunted and pulled up for enough clearance between him and the slide.

He shook his head, "I hate flying."

They flew up and landed at the southern side of the palace. The Firebender Strike Force had already taken out the Separatists and Face Stealers that guarded the palace. Rozin turned as his dad and the Avatar landed at the base of the palace.

"What took you so long?" Rozin smirked at his father, "thought we were going to have to take down Azula ourselves."

"Is the palace secure?" Zuko asked, ignoring his son's instigations.

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko," Tom bowed to his brother in law, "We captured thirty, or so, Separatists. The rest are casualties of war. Got the prisoners locked up in a dungeon below the palace."

Zuko and Aang walked forward and motioned for Tom to follow. Rozin, even though not invited, followed regardless.

"How many did you loose?" Zuko asked as he walked forward.

"Two were killed," Tom answered, "And five more were injured. Not a bad loss given the situation."

"Any word from the waterbenders?" Aang asked.

Tom shook his head, "Not yet. But don't worry, we're ahead of schedule. I'm sure both they, and the warriors, will be here momentarily. Hopefully soon. If we get another attack, we could very well loose the palace."

"Another attack?" Zuko raised an eyebrow.

Tom nodded, "That's were our casualties and most of our injuries came from. We got ambushed from west. Completely blind sided."

They came upon a small clearing behind the palace and near the base of a cliff leading down to the gorge below.

Aang held up a hand for them to stop. He stomped the ground and felt the vibrations below him reverberate through the earth under his feet. About six feet to his left was a covered opening to a tunnel that lead down, far beneath the city of Omashu. Aang swung his arm at the ground below and crumbled the clearing, revealing the gaping tunnel entrance.

"It's down there," Aang said and straitened himself up.

Zuko nodded then turned to Tom, "Stay here and watch the tunnel. If anyone is to come out, try your best to capture them, if not then, well…"

Tom smirked and nodded, "I gotcha, bro."

Zuko turned to Aang, "Alright let's go."

Aang and Zuko started towards the tunnel. Rozin walked forward to follow them, but Zuko turned around and held up his hand.

"No, son," Zuko shook his head, "Not this time."

"Why not?!" Rozin asked.

"It's too dangerous."

"I've faced Azula before, and I was only thirteen," Rozin exclaimed, "I'm seventeen now, and I'm the best firebender my age!"

"We've fought Azula multiple times," Zuko reasoned, "We know all of her tricks and her moves, and are better equipped to take her down. Let us handle it."

Zuko turned to join Aang inside the tunnel.

"She needs to pay for what she has done," Rozin stated, "What she did to Iroh."

Zuko froze and sighed, "She will."

And with that Zuko stepped into the tunnel and descended into the caverns with Aang.

Rozin turned his head and glared bitterly. It should've been him that took her down because it was because of him that his great uncle was killed. At the beginning of the war, it was Iroh who sacrificed himself so that he and Kya could live. It wasn't fair that this had to happen.

"Lieutenant Rozin," Tom ordered.

Rozin glared at him, "Are you really going to pull rank on me, Uncle."

Tom winced at Rozin's mentioning of him as an uncle, "Whoa, whoa, don't call me that, please. Remember I'm only two years older than you."

"The what should I call you?"

"As far as anyone's concerned, I'm your cousin."

Rozin rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I have a weird family."

"Uh huh," Tom agreed, "Now, here's what you're going to do. You're going to guard this hole, while me and the rest of the troops guard the palace interior."

"You mean relax in the palace, right?" Rozin raised an eyebrow.

"Yep," Tom beamed.

Rozin sighed, "I hate you."

"You're not the first," Tom said and walked off, "If anything come out of there, just kill it."

Rozin huffed and sat on a boulder a couple feet from the tunnel. First he can't exact his revenge on Azula, and now he can't even enjoy his plunders of war. For a guy born into royalty, he sure had the worst luck.

**Jet. The Northern Cliffs. **

Jet stood at the edge of the cliffs facing the main gates of the chaotic city before him. Pillows of smoke slowly rose into the air and was only accompanied by the booming echoes of explosions and earthbending, and the pungent smell of sulfur. The familiar setting of battle. How he loved it.

He looked forward and saw the metal gate get ripped apart as if it were tissue paper. He smirked. Good ol' Toph.

From the distance, he could see her tiny figure emerge from where the gate once was and extend the bridge, allowing the infantry to cross into the city.

Jet turned around to the 3,000 benders and warriors from each of the nations. He drew his hook swords and held one of them high in the air.

"Men," he shouted to his troops, "Today is the day the war will finally end! The Separatists in that city have long since feared this day. Let's not disappoint them!"

The soldiers cheered and raised a battle cry that shook the mountains.

"Charge!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

The soldiers yelled in response and charged forward in one, giant mass of human beings.

Jet turned back towards the city and sprinted forward across the bridge, leading the way to victory.

**Azula. Caverns. **

Azula sat in a meditative position, deep in a trance. She inhaled deeply, clearing her mind as she attempted to reach the spirit she wanted to communicate with.

A ghostly image of Koh the Face Stealer materialized in front of her. Azula opened her eyes and bowed before her master. Koh looked down at her with distain.

"What is it?" Koh asked in an eerily, echoing voice.

"Master," Azula raised her head, "The Coalition has invaded the city just as you had predicted. What am I to do now?"

"You have created more Face Stealers, yes?" Koh inquired.

Azula nodded, "Thousands. You have an army ready for your disposal. All they wait for is your command."

"Then you are to send them to the Chrystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se to await my instructions," Koh ordered.

"Under Gao's command?" Azula asked.

"No, under mine," Koh corrected, "They will wait there until the time is right. Not to attack anyone. Let the world think they are gone for the time being."

"And what of me, my lord?" Azula asked nervously, "What of our agreement?"

Koh smirked, "You have been a faithful servant, Azula. Soon you will be able to reap the rewards for all of which you have sacrificed. A New World is coming, Azula. Once the world falls to my hand everything you know will change."

Azula looked up hopefully.

"And your role in this New World has been extremely beneficial," Koh smiled, "I trust you vow to serve me for all time?"

Azula nodded, "Of course, Master."

Koh grinned, "Good. Then you should have no trouble with your next task."

"Which is?"

"He's coming for you right now…" Koh said before dissipating into thin air.

Azula looked around, puzzled. What did he mean by that?

Her question was soon answered when she heard rushing footsteps approach the entrance to the Cavern. She turned and saw the Avatar and the Fire Lord enter the cavern. She smirked in amusement, realizing that her master meant for her to kill the Avatar. Too easy.

Her four Face Stealer guards turned and blocked the two men from entering any further. She clapped her hands in mock admiration of the heroes.

"It's about time you got here," Azula teased, "I was beginning to wonder if my brother and his boyfriend were going to make it to the party."

Zuko glared, "No more tricks, Azula. You're finished."

"In case you haven't noticed in your cave," Aang stated, "Omashu is under our control. The war is over. I suggest you surrender peacefully, or be destroyed."

"Hmm," she tapped her index finger to her lips, contemplating her options, "You know, this sounds all too familiar. I think you know how this ends."

She snapped her fingers at the Face Stealers and pointed at Aang and Zuko, "Kill them both!"

The Face Stealers unsheathed their swords and charged at them.

Aang sighed annoyingly. He's faced enough of these guys before and knew how to effortlessly take care of them. He swung his arms around, gathering air, and pushed forward, releasing a large gust of wind at the Face Stealers. The gust pushed them back further than expected and they crashed into the opposite wall and fell, screaming, down an unfathomably deep abyss.

Aang cringed, "Oops…"

Azula glared, "As always, I will take care of you myself."

And with that she shot a blue stream of fire at them.

Zuko and Aang jumped out of the way as the stream of fire hit the wall behind them and exploded.

Azula reacted quickly by shooting multiple fireballs at them at once.

Aang quickly jumped and dodged her attacks, seeing as they were mostly aimed at him. She seemed almost intent on killing him over Zuko. Most of the fireballs blasted into the wall behind him, while the rest he simply blocked.

Zuko quickly went on the offensive, taking advantage of Azula's concentration on Aang. He shot a low flying stream of fire at her feet. She jumped and shot a stream from her finger tips. Zuko rolled forward and recovered with a large flame blast from his fist. Azula ducked and kicked some fire at him, causing him to take a few steps back.

Aang jumped forward and assisted Zuko by earthbending a chunk of granite at her. She jumped back sent a wall of fire at him. Aang quickly earthbended himself underground and allowed the wall to sail harmlessly over him before leaping high into the air and landing beside her with a huge gust of air.

Azula flew back flew back into the wall, but managed to push off it with her feet instead of taking a more devastating blow. She rolled forward and emerged with a blast of fire back at Zuko.

Zuko deflected it and countered with a stream of fire, followed by three large fireballs. She, of course dodged it, but it didn't stop Zuko from attacking. He took a deep breath and shot rapid fireballs from his fists. His object, however, wasn't to hit her, but distract her as Aang jumped behind her and blew her away with a gust of wind.

She flew forward and hit the ground hard, sliding, and finally stopping dangerously close to the edge of the abyss. She pulled herself up and dusted herself off.

"Is this really how you want to end it?" she asked, "Not like you'll end up killing me anyway. Zuko, you had the water peasant finish me off and imprisoned me for thirteen years."

Zuko shot a fireball at her, but she jumped away and dodged it.

She smirked, "If you would've killed me all those years ago, this might've been avoided. Technically, this is your fault."

Zuko yelled and shot a wild fireball towards her. She was getting the best of him, getting inside his head and throwing all the things he did wrong in his face.

"Shut up!" Zuko shouted and shot another fireball at her.

She deflected it and returned to fire three of her own at him. He managed to deflect the first two, but the third one hit him straight in the chest. Zuko grunted and clutched his chest as he got knocked to the ground from the attack. It was right were Azula shot him with lighting during Sozin's Comet.

"Did I hit a soft spot, Zu-Zu?" she teased.

"Enough!" Aang shouted as he flew towards her with his staff raised.

She jumped out of the way as he came crashing down, creating a large tremor and air blast. Azula was knocked backwards several feet, but nonetheless recovered, staring ruthlessly at her sworn enemy.

**Katara and Kya. Upper Level**

Katara, Kya, and the rest of the Waterbending Infiltrators ran through the streets of Omashu. They haven't seen any Separatists for a while, but that hasn't stopped them from keeping alert.

They came up to a staircase made entirely of tan sandstone and ascended up to the palace. While going up, Kya turned and saw the true extent of the battle. It was the first time she had a clear view of the battle and was overwhelmed by the extent of destruction. Smoke rose up in black pillars from several buildings around them, and fires erupted which burned everything but the stone the city was made of.

In the distance, she could see the massive flood of their infantry pushing through the gates of the middle level of the main pyramid, while the eastern pyramid had already been conquered.

"Come on, Kya," Katara said down to her daughter.

Kya looked up, then took one last glance at the city below before continuing up the steps to the palace.

They reached the top and came onto the palace grounds. Katara raised her eyebrow at the sight. All the Firebender Strike Force soldiers were lounging about on the palace grounds, completely ignoring the fact that there was a battle going on. Tom himself was laying against a with his helmet covering his face.

"Major!" Katara shouted.

Tom stood up quickly at attention.

"What, what?! I'm up!" he raised his helmet and frowned when he saw it was Katara, "Oh, it's just you."

"Yeah, too bad for you," Katara scorned, "What if it were the Separatists? Or Azula herself? Urgh, just wait until I tell your brother in law."

"Hey, all the Separatists within five miles have either been killed or captured," Tom defended himself, "And right now Azula's getting her butt handed to her by Zuko and your loving husband, so… lay off."

Katara fumed and stormed off. She couldn't deny Tom was a great fighter and leader, but his sarcasm and cockiness rivaled even her brother. If she didn't know any better, she would think he was Sokka's own.

Kya scratched her head as she watched her mother storm off to the palace.

"So… long time no see, hm?" she tried making small talk.

"Not since Ba Sing Se," Tom shrugged and gave her a curious look, "But for some reason I doubt I'm the guy you want to talk to."

"Why do you say that?" Kya blushed.

"Maybe because I know you have a thing for a certain firebender…" he raised his eyebrow.

"What? Did Rozin talk about me?" Kya asked excitedly.

"Would it please you if he did?"

Kya nodded.

"Well, he didn't," Tom shrugged, "Not much anyway."

"He didn't?!" Kya asked incredulously.

"Well, it's not like he had much of a chance," Tom defended his nephew, "We were at war. He probably wasn't thinking about you with his _other _head, if you know what I mean…"

Kya glared and bent a water-whip and smacked Tom across the face.

"Ow!" he yelped and retreated back. He smirked and checked her out, "Not bad, not too bad at all. You've definitely filled out since the last time I've seen you. He'd be a fool to not go for you."

She faked an attack at him and he flinched back. Kya smirked and walked away to join her mother and the other waterbenders.

**Aang, Zuko, Azula. The Caverns. **

"Maybe it's not Zu-Zu's fault at all," Azula smirked, "Maybe if you hadn't run away a century ago, this war never have happened and I wouldn't have existed in the first place. Then all your people would've survived and you wouldn't be the last airbender."

Aang scrunched his face in anger and shot forward, releasing a large blast of fire from the palms of his hands. Azula tried to block it, but was mostly unsuccessful. While she avoided the majority of the flames, the force knocked her back twenty feet.

Zuko painfully rose up as Azula fell to his direction from Aang's attack. She landed only a few feet from him and pulled her up with a wicked grin on her face. Both Aang and Zuko ran up at her at the same time. Azula back kicked some flames at Zuko, pushing him several feet back and simultaneously charged and shot a bolt of lighting at Aang.

Aang extended his index and middle fingers and painfully absorbed the bolt of lighting through his arm, down to his stomach and up out his other finger tips, redirecting it back at Azula.

Zuko ran towards her with fire charging in the palm of his hand, ready to deliver the final blow to his demented sister.

Azula, however, was ready for it and quickly rolled out of the way as the lighting sailed right by her and towards Zuko.

Aang watched in horror as the deadly bolt of lighting sailed at him. Zuko, thinking quickly, mustered a fire shield and was able to block some of the attack. Unfortunately his shield wasn't any near powerful, and the majority of the lighting bolt crashed into him and sent him flying backwards. He fell hard on the ground and rolled several times and slammed hard into the wall. He tried to rise, but then went limp and appeared lifeless on the ground.

**Rozin. Tunnel Entrance. **

Rozin sat on a boulder looking down at the war ravaged city below him. The infantry has invaded and was making their way up to the palace. The lower part of the main pyramid was already under Coalition control by the looks of it, and they were close to taking over the middle level.

Infantrymen. Unlike him, and the rest of the Special Forces, they were more geared for mopping up and destroying anything in their path. It was anarchy. He really wondered why they even bothered having commanders. All they really needed to do was raid the outlying taverns and give the drunks and barbarians some spears and clubs, then let them have at it.

In all honesty, he would rather be down there fighting along side them instead of hanging around up there waiting for nothing to happen. What a way to spend the battle of the decade; bored at the top of a hill, watching everything from afar.

A clap of thunder echoed through the tunnel, catching Rozin's attention.

"What the…" he looked at the dark tunnel curiously.

A second, even stronger clap of lighting boomed out of the darkness.

"Ok, that can't be good," Rozin said and looked around.

He was the only one around. If his father and the Avatar were hurt, no one would be around to help them, save for him. And even worse, Azula would escape and more people would die just trying to capture her.

He sighed and got up to run down into the tunnel.

**Aang, Azula, Zuko. The Caverns. **

Azula looked at her brother with satisfaction, then turned to the Avatar.

"You really shouldn't hurt your friends," she smiled and shot a ball of fire at him.

Aang jumped out of the way and earthbended the rock beneath her feet, shooting her in the air, then blasted her into the side of the cave with a huge vortex of air. She hit the ground hard but instead of grunting in pain, she burst into laughter.

Aang jumped in front of her and reached down and grabbed her by her collar, hoisting her up and slamming her into the wall.

"Give it up, Azula," Aang said, narrowing his eyes, "it's over."

She cackled hysterically, "Oh, Avatar, if you really want to stop me, you know you got to kill me."

Aang gritted his teeth, "I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to do to you what I did to your father eighteen years ago."

Aang pressed one hand to her forehead and another to her chest. He inhaled deeply and prepared to bend her energy and take away her bending. Unfortunately, Azula had a lot more fight left in her. She inhaled and breathed a breath of fire at Aang's face.

Aang was caught off guard by her attack and flew back several feet, dangerously close to the edge. Azula smirked and a series of powerful fireballs at him. He deflected most of them, but one snuck in and hit him hard in the chest. The force from the attack pushed him back and he lost his balance and fell back into the abyss. She jumped forward to the edge of the cliff and shot a massive blast of fire down into the abyss, ensuring Aang could not fly back up. She looked down. The Avatar was no where in sight.

She smirked, "Too easy."

She turned to her fallen brother who was beginning to stir back to consciousness.

"And now for the last loose end," she charged a ball of fire in the palm of her hand.

An fireball exploded behind her and she turned to see who dared shoot at her. Through the smoke her nephew, Rozin, walked up to her.

"Well, well. If it isn't my little nephew Rozin," Azula grinned evilly, "Thought you would've stayed in Agnia with your mommy."

Rozin smirked, "Couldn't resist the chance of visiting my dear old Auntie Azula and take her down."

"Good luck," she glared and shot a quick blast of fire at him.

He deflected it and sent two fireballs at her which she leapt quickly out of the way. The two prodigies circled and stared at each other, sizing each other up.

"You've gotten faster," Azula noted.

She punched and kicked several blasts of fire at him. He reacted quickly, but instead of simply deflecting it, he used a tactic Kya taught him years ago and gathered her fire together and redirected it back at her.

Azula's eyes widened as her own blast of fire came searing towards her. She stuck her hands in front of her and blocked the attack. She stared at her nephew in shock on how good he was, even to her.

Rozin smirked, "You'll find I'm full of surprises."

With that he shot several fireballs at her, initiating the fight. She side stepped out of the way, blocking or dodging his attacks.

She was quick, he'll give her that. But he was determined to bring her down regardless.

He produced a pair of fire daggers and charged at her. She faced him with a wicked grin on her face and shot a stream of fire from her fingertips. He kicked and blocked the stream, and continued charging after her. He jumped up kicked a large blast at her. She hastily deflects it from her face and strikes back, shooting a blast at his abdomen. The blast knocked him back to where his father lied.

Zuko opened his eyes and glanced at his son, "Rozin? What are you doing here?"

"Trying to save you," Rozin rubbed his head from where he hit the wall.

Azula walked up grinning maniacally. Zuko looked up and glanced at her.

"Good job," he said sarcastically.

Azula began to swing her arms and charge lighting, but suddenly the cavern was filled by a bright, white light and the shudder of the earth around them. She was knocked off her feet and turned to the edge of the abyss where the light was coming from.

Out of the illuminated abyss, Aang, in a much more powerful form of the Avatar State, emerged and levitated out. He landed at the edge of the cliff and his eyes and tattoos reverted back to normal. He looked up at Azula, devoid of emotion.

Azula's look of fear turned into rage, "Don't you ever die!"

She quickly shot a bolt of lighting at the Avatar, but he effortlessly blocked it with a shield formed in his hand made of pure light. That only made her madder and she attacked again, shooting five fireballs at him, each with similar results.

Aang looked up, done with reasoning with her. He was now ready to end this, once and for all.

He reached up with his hand towards her. Azula stiffened up as an aura of white light formed around her. Her eyes widened with fear as he pulled her close to him. She was paralyzed and couldn't move a muscle, no matter how hard she tried.

As Aang reeled her in, he reached up with his other hand and holding it just in front of her face. Aang shut his eyes and took a deep breath. A bright light slowly emerged from the palm of his hand. Azula's eyes widened in fear as the white light filled the irises of her eyes. Her pupils dilated and a bright light filled the room.

As quickly as the light appeared, it was gone. Rozin and Zuko, who had shielded their eyes from the light, looked up and saw Aang holding her lifeless body in his arms. Aang turned to the abyss. He took one last look at Azula's body, then down over the cliff. Without a second thought, he released his grip and allowed her to fall through the endless, bottomless abyss; falling for eternity. Her soul and the very essence of her life, stolen by Aang's Life-bending.

Zuko and Rozin stared at him, shockingly.

"What did you do?" Zuko painfully stood up.

Aang himself was rather impressed by what he did, and stared at his own hands in awe.

"I- I don't know," he looked back at them, "but it did the job. Azula's gone. The war's over."

**A/N: And here's the second half of the opening chapters. Hope you all liked it. The next chapter won't be up for a week or so. Family coming out and that will hold my full attention for the week. **

**Peace.  
**


	3. The Victory Celebration

**Chapter 3**

**The Victory Celebration**

The night air of Omashu was rife with ecstasy and relief as the soldiers of the Coalition celebrated their greatest victory yet. Not only was the war over, and the Separatist leaders disbanded, but Azula herself was killed.

Aang, Zuko, and the rest of the Heroes of Sozin's War, stood on the balcony of the palace overlooking the soldiers and liberated citizens below. Zuko, Aang, and Sokka, the three most recognized and influential leaders of the Coalition, stepped forward to the edge and everyone below cheered with deafening applause.

Zuko held up his hand to silence them, which they obliged.

"Soldiers of the Coalition," Zuko projected his voice, "you have all fought long, hard, and brave throughout the course of the war. While many of you hail from different lands, you all headed the call and stepped forward to end a war that threatened the very balance of our world. I must say, I am proud to have fought along side you, my brothers and sisters."

The soldiers cheered and applauded again, prompting Zuko to hold his hand up.

"Historians centuries later may see this as the Avatar's victory. Or the Fire Nation's. Or the Earth Kingdom's. But it they would be wrong. For the first time in history every nation has banded together under one banner to fight a common cause. Remember, twenty years ago, we were enemies. My forefathers nearly destroyed everything we hold dear. But now, only a short time after the Comet, we have all put aside our differences and became brothers."

The soldiers cheered yet again.

"Let this be the beginning of a new world!" Zuko shouted, "Where we look past our ethnicities and nationalities, and see each other for what we are: equals. Eighteen years ago I stood at the threshold of the Fire Nation palace with Avatar Aang. Once former enemies, we united in a common goal to unite the world in peace and equality."

Zuko glanced over at Aang, then turned back to the crowd, "And, today, I believe we have achieved that goal!"

The soldiers erupted in thunderous applause and shook the walls of Omashu with their cheering.

"Let us mark this as a celebration," Zuko shouted over the crowd, "Not as separate nations, but as one world!"

Zuko smiled as the soldiers broke formation and began to relax into festivity and leisure. The citizens of Omashu dispensed with plates of refreshments, eager to serve their liberators.

Back on the balcony, the Heroes shook hands with various generals and commanders of the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Water Tribe. Formalities were dropped and everyone treated each other as good, long friends.

Aang broke past the military officials and headed strait for his wife, Katara. She stood in the corner with a few Water Tribe commanders swapping their various stories they had during the war.

Katara glanced over at Aang and smiled softly, something her returned to her as well. The commanders took note and bowed, taking their leave. Katara ran over to Aang and they pulled each other into a crushing, yet comforting embrace. Aang kissed her several times, closing his eyes and melting away into her as they found each other again.

"You have no idea how hard it's been this past year," Aang whispered softly into her ear.

While the war had raged for four years, Aang still tried to make an effort to see his wife whenever he could. The last time they saw each other was about a year ago at the Southern Air Temple. For three years, Katara turned their home into a sanctuary for the sick and wounded soldiers of the war. It was also where their kids, Ahmo and Kya stayed for the majority of the war. It was when Aang arrived that Kya, once she turned fourteen, decided to enlist. Katara as a mother, naturally, was against it and called Aang down to talk her out of it. Kya, however, was just as stubborn as her mother and refused to listen to either one of them.

Katara realized this and agreed to let her daughter join the fighting. However, Katara decided to put together an elite group of waterbenders, known as the Waterbending Infiltrators, and ultimately enlisted Kya to keep watch of her.

Kya wasn't keen on having her mother watch over her, but she was honored to be the youngest waterbender on the team, and to fight along side the best of the best.

Katara buried her head in Aang's chest, "I know, Aang, but we're together now. The war's over."

Aang was silent as he continued to hold her. His mind was no longer on her and flashed back to the Caverns below. That power he used against Azula to end her, it was incredible. He had no idea where that power came from within him. He thought back to what Koh told him over four years ago.

"_Life-bending. An ancient, and powerful form of bending… The power of a god in your hands. You can move continents, rearrange the stars in the sky, create comets, wipe out civilizations in an instant, or even create life anew where there once was none."_

**The Young Heroes. Bonfire. **

"So there we were," Jian started as she took a sip from her goblet of Omashu wine, "stranded in the Great Divide, rescuing these fools."

She motioned at Rozin and Asmin who sat together in on the opposite end of the fire. Rozin lowered his face and rubbed his brow, humiliated by the story Jian decided to tell.

Jian, Zek, Shaola, Rozin, Tom, and Asmin all met up and decided to have a private party of their own away from their parents and exchange war stories with their old friends, making up for lost time. This making up for lost time included a rather large bonfire, Omashu's finest wine, and now Jian's embarrassing story of him.

"How did you get stranded in there with your gliders?" Jian's sister, Shaola piped up.

"Well, see, the genius, Rozin, thought we were Separatist gliders and ordered his men to shoot us down," Jian rolled her eyes.

Rozin lifted his head up, "How were we supposed to know?"

"So anyway, after the 'great prince of the Fire Nation' shot us down, we found ourselves stranded in that canyon with Separatist soldiers on one side, and mean eating bugs on the other. So Rozin, here, decides to try and lead the Separatists up into the bugs' lair to force the bugs to attack the Separatists."

"Did it work?" Zek asked, amused.

Jian took another sip and shook her head as she swallowed her beverage, "No. See, they had some earthbenders there and they tried to seal us in. So now we're trapped by in there with all the bugs. And they chased us to where the Separatists sealed us in. Rozin ducks the last second as the bugs crashed through the rocks and back into the Separatist forces, taking him with them. Here, he finds himself experiencing the definition between a rock and a hard place. He's stuck between giant bugs and Separatists. As one of the bugs goes to eat him, he's gets his butt saved by Teo's squadron who drops a small bomb on the bug, covering him in bug guts!"

The whole group begins to laugh as Rozin covers his face red with embarrassment. Asmin laughs and turns to him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"When did this happen?" she laughed,

"About three months before you joined," Rozin groaned through his hands.

As the group was laughing and enjoying their victory, Kya walked up with Lao and Lin along side. She smiled at the sight of her old friends reunited.

"Got room for three more?" she asked rather cheerfully.

They stopped laughing and looked over at the three of them as they seated. They all cheered and shouted their names, raising up their glasses for their long time friends.

"Kya!" Jian walked over and hugged her cousin, "Here, have some wine. It's superb!"

Rozin raised up his head upon hearing her name. Kya. The girl he's thought about non stop for four years, the day he left to fight the war. He gazed at her in her blue, silk kimono and long, soft brown hair that flowed freely draped over her shoulders. But this was not the eleven year old girl he remembered in his dreams. No, she was nearly a full grown woman now. And she filled out nicely, carrying on many of the traits that made her mother's beauty famed world wide.

Kya smiled and sat down, "Sure, why not? It's a party, right?"

"That's the spirit!" Jian grinned and handed the three of them their glasses.

Kya smiled at her cousin and took a sip of her wine, glancing over at the rest of the reunited group. Her eyes caught Rozin as he gazed at her. Rozin quickly averted his eyes and shied away, causing her to blush in the darkness. There he was, the boy who's been on her mind since that first fateful night on Ember Island. But he was no boy anymore; he was a full grown young man now. And not just any man, but a prince of the Fire Nation, and a world renown war hero. She would've been ecstatic to see him after four long years had it not been for the recent information she learned from Tom. According to him, he never once mentioned her or even thought about her. She scoffed and took a large swig of wine.

"So where did you find these two gravel brains?" Jian asked Kya in reference to Lao and Lin, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Huh, what?" she looked around confused.

Her confusion was unnoticed for Lao spoke over her and answered Jian's question.

"We were in the palace and literally ran into each other," Lao glanced at her, a little longer than he should have, "And our parents told us where you guys were, so we decided to meet up for old times sake."

Rozin noticed Lao's longing stare and glared at him. It was then he noticed they were sitting as close to each other as his brother and Shaola were; definitely not a good thing.

Asmin glanced at Rozin and raised her eyebrow curiously.

"What are you angry at now?" she whispered.

Rozin softened his look and relaxed a little, turning to his best friend.

"Nothing," he shrugged, "Why do you ask?"

Asmin scoffed and shook her head, "Could it be because of a certain waterbender?"

Rozin glared, "No."

"Really? Because you've been talking about her non stop since you learned you'd both be in Omashu at the same time."

"Not right now, Asmin," Rozin hissed through his teeth.

She shrugged and returned her attention to the others. If there was one thing she learned about Rozin in all her years of knowing him was that it was damn near impossible to get the man to talk about his feelings. She never minded it either for she loathed it too.

Meanwhile, Zek and Shaola enjoyed their time looking between Rozin and Kya's awkward side glances and stares. Zek actually smiled, a rarity for him outside of Shaola, when Kya made eye contact with Rozin causing him to actually blush beet red.

"This is actually amusing," Zek smirked as he pulled his girlfriend closer.

Shaola smirked as Kya pretended to brush away a strand of hair after Rozin caught her gazing at him.

"Yeah, but it's starting to get old," she stated, "That's the second time she's done that move."

Shaola put her arm around his waist as he gently massaged her shoulder with his thumb. She looked up at her boyfriend with dark green, emerald eyes that looked at him longingly.

He met her gaze with his dark, amber colored eyes, smiling softly. A trait that was only reserved for her.

"You wanna get out of here?" he whispered softly in her ear.

Shaola looked around at her surroundings to see if they could safely make an exit. Jian, the life of the party, was feeling pretty tipsy and at the moment was getting cozy up with Tom, who was equally if not more drunk than she was. They likely would not notice if they escaped.

She turned to Rozin who was still in a staring contest with Kya, easily occupying both their attentions.

Asmin was off getting some more wine from the nearly empty barrel, and she wouldn't care about their whereabouts anyway.

Lao was too busy flirting with Kya to really notice them anyway. Yet she could care less about what he thought.

Lin, however with her earthbending form of hearing, looked right at them. At first Shaola froze, realizing she might've heard them, and smiled sheepishly. Lin rolled her eyes and motioned for them to go.

Shaola smiled and turned to Zek as he took a swig of wine.

"Alright, let's go," she whispered in his ear.

Zek grinned and helped her to her feet as they silently made their way from their friends for a little much needed alone time to further celebrate their victory.

Rozin watched his brother and girlfriend leave, and rolled his eyes. He was no idiot. He knew what they were off to go do. Then something clicked in his mind. His _younger _brother was off to have some fun while he was stuck in a staring contest with Kya. He shook his head and rose to his feet. He wasn't going to let his get all the action while he sulked all night.

He passed Asmin on his way to the other side of the fire.

"Finally going to make your move, Shu?" she smirked and took a swig of her wine.

He glared at her as she passed, but made no sort of retort as he continued towards Kya.

Kya giggled at some stupid joke Lao made, when she looked up and nearly fell out of her seat as she noticed Rozin in front of her.

"Rozin!" she gasped, surprised to actually see him not more than a couple feet in front of her.

"Hey, Kya," Rozin scratched the back of his neck nervously, "How's it going?"

Kya was initially taken aback by his lower voice, only furthering the fact of how much he's changed in four years. She shifted in her seat and turned her head away slightly, not wanting to gaze into those blazing gold eyes of his.

"Uh, I'm fine," she answered, toying nervously with her hair, "How are you?"

Rozin was about to answer when Asmin shouted from behind him.

"Hey, Lieutenant!" Asmin shouted, "How 'bout you and her go and get some more wine! We're almost out!"

Jian broke off her kiss from Tom and looked over at the Fire Nation Prince.

"No wine!" she slurred, "Go get some!"

"Yeah!" Tom yelled equally slurring his words before bringing Jian back to his lips.

Rozin smirked and shook his head, "Whatever you say, _Uncle._"

Jian broke off her kiss once again and looked at Tom with shock, obviously under the impression they were cousins.

Rozin looked at Kya, who amused by the little tirade. He cocked his head away from the party.

"Come on," he suggested, "We can catch up while we do it."

Kya nodded and tapped Lao's thigh, "I'll be right back."

Lao looked up at Rozin glaringly and didn't even make eye contact with Kya. "I know."

Rozin returned the glare and lead Kya out, with a hand on her lower back, as they made their way out for more Omashu Wine. His threatening, possessive glare did not leave Lao until they were well away from the bonfire.

"Wait, you told me he was your cousin," Jian stated confusingly.

Tom smiled nervously and turned his head away muttering, "I'm going to kill him."

**Zuko and Mai. The Palace/guest suite.**

Zuko practically pushed Mai into their guest suite as a group full of overly thankful palace servants rushed over to give them their gratitude and thanks for overthrowing Azula and the Separatists.

The royal couple had been trying to escape the chaos of the party and make it to their quarters for some peace and quiet, but always found themselves interrupted by grateful servants, congratulating generals, a drunk Sokka, sycophantic diplomats, a sober Suki looking for a drunk Sokka. It was overwhelming. He had to pawn them off on Aang so he and his wife could disappear.

He quickly closed the door behind him and slid the lock shut, effectively fending off the crazed servants.

"That was a close one," Mai breathed as she sat at the foot of the king-sized bed and brushed away a loose strand of hair.

"I know," Zuko exhaled as he heard the servants' footsteps get quieter and quieter until they finally disappeared. Zuko looked over at his wife and joined her at the foot of the bed.

"They're gone," he reassured her and put his arm around her waist, "Feel sorry for Aang, though."

Mai smirked, "I doubt it was a surprise to him, being the Avatar and all."

Zuko smiled and stared into her deep amber eyes, pulling her slightly closer as he did. Gods how he missed those eyes. He brushed away a stray strand of hair and instinctively leaned in to kiss his beautiful wife.

Mai eagerly returned his kiss, giving as much fiery passion he was, grabbing him by the nape of his neck and pulling him in closer. She missed this passionate fire of his and had been longing for it for nearly four years.

He gently guided her to lie down on the bed, still keeping his lips attached to hers. As her back hit the top of the bed, his hand slid down and massaged her thigh. She moaned deep with ecstasy into his mouth as they both lost themselves in their love.

**Aang and Katara. Palace Ballroom  
**

"I hate you, Zuko," Aang muttered to himself as he shook hands with several congratulatory people, almost at once while bearing a feigned smile.

Despite the mellow music played by the band in the background, these people were civil and almost too afraid to even approach the Avatar, but now, with help from the Omashu Wine being passed around like water, they were groveling over him like a bunch of crazed, lunatic fanatics.

In the distance he spotted Katara, who got separated from him during the ensuing chaos, and pushed his way to her, but to no avail. He looked around desperately and spotted Toph near the wine barrel talking with Jet.

"Toph!" he shouted, "A little help here?!"

Toph smirked and shook her head at Aang's pathetic call for help.

"Sure thing, Twinkle Toes," she grinned and turned to Aang and the crowd around him.

Toph took a fighting stance and stomped the ground. The ground beneath the crowd shook violently and knocked them all down. As soon as they fell, Aang leapt into the air and glided over to his wife and landed a few inches away from her.

Katara couldn't help but snicker at the childish smile he had on his face. Even through all the seriousness and strife through the years, he still was the same old, twelve year old kid at heart. No matter how much he changed and grew up, she will always see the young boy she fell in love with all those years ago, and nothing will ever change that.

Aang's smile fell as she gazed at him without saying a word.

"What?" he asked confused.

She snapped out of her gaze and shook her head, "Nothing. Just taking in the moment, I guess."

Aang smiled and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in close.

"Me too," he leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I see you got quite the fan base," Katara nodded at the recovering fans. They spotted Aang, but were tentative about rushing again for risk of the wrath of Toph.

"It's like Kyoshi Island all over again," Katara continued with a chuckle.

"Yeah, you can _not _leave me alone with those people," Aang stated with a deathly serious tone in his voice.

"Aww," she cooed and stroked the back of his bald head, "Avatar Aang, scourge of the Separatists, scared stiff by a bunch of crazy fan girls."

"I'd rather take on Azula a thousand times over again," Aang sighed then added, "and Ozai."

Katara chuckled and nuzzled her head against his shoulder and the crook of his neck. They were together again, just as everything should be. She gently wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and swayed with him to the gentle tunes of the band playing in the background. She smiled as the band plucked a familiar tune of a Southern Water Tribe folk song.

"Oh, Aang," she held him closer, "Remember this song?"

Aang nodded, "'Seas of the Sun.' Our song. They played it at our wedding."

They closed their eyes and held each other close as they swayed to the gentle, rhythmic tunes from the band.

**Toph and Jet. **

Toph and Jet watched as Aang and Katara danced to the music. They had been catching up and exchanging stories about their travels for the past few hours. She had been the leader of an elite earthbending strike force, while he was one of the generals of the Southern Front, up until a year ago when he got promoted to Commander of the Earth Legion which lead him here. They met up a couple of times throughout the war, namely in the Battle of Talon Cove and the Battle of Dempul.

"They look happy together, don't they?" Jet observed.

"I wouldn't know," Toph stated, indicated her cataract encrusted eyes.

Jet winced. He hasn't really been around Toph as much as the others and wasn't as accustomed to her blindness. "Oh, sorry."

Toph shrugged. She's heard it all, "Don't mention it, Hooks. And about Aang, is it me, or does he seem a little off?"

Jet shrugged, "Maybe the war's shaken his nerves up a bit. Four non-stop years of fighting would do it to ya."

Toph blew her bangs out of her face, typical of her when her something was on her mind. "I suppose."

Just then, Toph noticed someone approaching. She knew who it was immediately and turned to smile at her.

"Hey, Suki," Toph waved.

Suki approached the two of them and looked around the crowd, barely paying attention to them.

"Hi, Toph," she replied, "Anyone see Sokka?"

Jet smirked, "Last I saw he was staggering outside after doing shots with Hakoda and General Sako."

A look of panic crossed her face, "Oh no…"

She turned and quickly headed for the exit out into the city.

Jet and Toph couldn't help but laugh at how cheap a drunk Sokka was, and how much trouble he's going to be with Suki when she finds him.

**Sokka. Hanging Gardens of Omashu. **

Sokka staggered through the beautiful gardens that hung over the edge of the center tower of Omashu. As beautiful as they were during the day light, at night they can be a confusing maze. Especially to a drunken fool like Sokka.

The lush Water Tribe warrior took a giant swig from his goblet and stumbled over to a bush with giant, yellow, saucer-like flowers.

"He, he," he snickered drunkenly, "Flowers."

With alcohol fueling is already natural curiosity, he stuck his nose deep into the flower and inhaled deeply, wafting the flowery scent.

"Umm, smells goo-" he smiled before he held his head back and began to sneeze, "Ah… ah… ah… CHOO!"

As he sneezed he staggered and fell face first onto the flagstone sidewalk below him. He lied motionless on the ground, still clutching his goblet in his hand.

"Ow," he quietly let out a muffled curse. "He he!"

He struggled to pull himself back up and, by some miracle, managed to not fall back down and still keep hold of his cup. Even Sokka was impressed with himself.

"He he, still got my cup," he pointed at his cup with the utmost amusement.

Off past the bushes he heard the muffled sound of what appeared to be a girl laughing. He stuck his hear to the bush to hear a little better.

"What's that?" he asked himself out loud, too curious for his own good.

He silently, kind of, pushed his way through the bushes. Twigs and thorns poked him and he could swear he passed through at least two spider webs, but he was getting closer. The girl's laughter became clearer and more apparent the further he pushed through the bush.

He pulled back the last branch of the bush which opened up to a large, grassy clearing with a large, black granite obelisk in the middle. Sokka peered through the bushes into the clearing with the goofiest, yet most suspicious face he could muster. What he saw was worse than anything he has seen or imagined seeing ever in his life; his fourteen year old daughter making out with the youngest prince of the Fire Nation.

"Great Spirits," he gasped horrified as he backed up away from the disturbing scene before him of Zek defiling his youngest daughter, "I'm gonna kill that kid!"

"There you are!" the scolding voice of his wife snapped at him from behind.

Sokka jumped and turned around, surprised to find Suki standing behind him with a cross look on her face and her arms folded sternly across her chest. She was not a happy camper.

Sokka on the other hand grinned like an idiot, clearly showing off his guilt.

"Hi, baby," he waved.

"Don't hi me," she hissed at him, "You went off and got yourself so blitzed that I'm surprised you haven't walked strait off the edge of the city."

Sokka couldn't help but chuckle at his Suki's tongue lashing. That, however, didn't help matters much with his significant other, and caused her to almost loose it right there.

"Sokka," she gritted her teeth to keep herself from blowing up at her husband, "Get over here now!"

"Ah, I'm not that drunk," Sokka waved her off as he took a swig from his goblet.

Suki quickly snatched it from his hand right as he brought it up to his mouth. She looked at it curiously and rolled her eyes at how drunk her husband really was.

"Sokka," she sighed and rubbed her brow, "this cup is empty."

Sokka rolled his eyes, "Well, duh! That's 'cause I drank it!"

She raised her eyebrow, unimpressed, "It's been dry for hours. You haven't been drinking anything!"

Shaola let out a quiet, muffled laugh behind him which brought Sokka into his much feared thinking mode. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, scheming up a way to bust his daughter, Sokka Style!

Suki raised her eyebrow, "I know that look. What are you thinking?"

Sokka dropped his look and turned apologetic to Suki. He cautiously approached her and pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered into her ear while massaging her shoulders, "How can I make it up to you?"

Suki rolled her eyes, "I am not falling for that that easily."

Sokka smirked, "You know you can't resist me." He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"No."

"Come on," he started kissing the base of her neck.

Suki began to loosen up. Damn him for knowing her sweet spots.

"Sokka…"

"Come on, babe," Sokka began to nibble on her ear, "I know a good spot past the bushes. Clear, open, grassy field with a big view of the city. Very romantic."

"Mmm," Suki moaned, "Fine."

Sokka smirked arrogantly, "I knew you'd go for it. Come on!"

**Shaola and Zek. **

Shaola moaned as Zek pressed her up against the large obelisk she was leaning against as they made out. The two fourteen year olds managed to find a quiet spot after several unsuccessful tries. Apparently they weren't the only ones with that idea. It was nearly half an hour before they found this calm, quiet, romantic spot.

Zek broke his passionate kiss with her and looked down at her with a gentle, soft smile.

Shaola, confused as to why he broke off the kiss, looked back up at him with concern in her eyes.

"Why'd you stop?" she breathed.

"You sure you want to do this?" he whispered.

Shaola thought about it for a split second as she stared into his seemingly endless eyes. This was the man she loved. For four years they grew up and fought together, becoming the best team in the entire military. They were best friends, knew each other in and out, and, most importantly, they loved each other. She bit her bottom lip and pulled him in closer, confirming to him that she meant yes.

Suddenly there was the sound of a twig snapping in the bushes followed by the muffled sound of a woman giggling.

Shaola and Zek broke it off and looked around at the darkness of the night that surrounded them. Shaola rolled her eyes, presumably knowing instantly who it was.

"Ok, Jian, it wasn't even funny the first time you spied on us," she shouted out into the darkness, assumingly at her sister.

But nothing happened and the noise stopped.

Zek looked back at her and shrugged, "Maybe it was just some animal."

Shaola shrugged too and pulled him closer to resume what they started. He was a mere hair from her lips when they heard the sound again, only this time more audible.

She sighed frustratingly and yelled out at the darkness, "Get out of here!"

No one responded as the sound got louder, as if it were coming closer and closer. Shaola became nervous and put her arms around Zek's neck as he held her closer for protection.

Slowly they approached the bushes, straining their eyes to see into through the bushes to identify their voyeur.

They stopped three feet from the edge of the foliage and waited as the sound of feet crushing leaves and twigs got closer. In addition to the sound of crushing twigs, there was an odd sound of something wet smacking.

"What is that?" Zek asked aloud and held Shaola closer.

Then two figures came crashing through the bushes, causing the two young love birds to scream and jump back several feet. The figures landed at their feet and pulled themselves into a rough, sensual embrace, continuing to kiss ferociously.

Shaola looked a little closer at the two figures and gasped, instantly recognizing who they were by the brown haired knot on the back of the man's head.

She raised her eyebrows in shock and disgust, "Dad?! Mom?!"

Sokka looked up, positioned over Suki, with a drunk, goofy look on his face.

"Well if it isn't the two love birds?" he slurred as he greeted his daughter and the dreaded boyfriend.

"What the hell are you guys doing?!" Shaola asked horrified.

He pretended to ignore her and went back to his wife, "Don't mind us, we'll be done in a minute. Wait! Two." He then proceeded to kiss down Suki's neck from the base of her earlobe, slowly making his way down and making sure every sound was heard and every movement seen.

Zek winced and averted his eyes. Shaola became nauseated and turned her head away to cover her mouth in pure disgust of the situation.

Suki, meanwhile, wasn't impressed by her husband's actions and put her hands against his shoulders to push him up.

"Ok, we're not doing this here, Sokka," she told her overly drunk husband.

"Let's show 'em how the pros do it," he smiled mischievously down at her.

"Not with our daughter here!" Suki hissed.

"Wouldn't be the first time she's," he trailed off and looked up at his daughter, signaling she's been busted, "Caught… us."

"Oh gods!" Shaola cursed and cupped her mouth, running off to get as far away from her parents as humanly possible.

Zek took one last look at his girlfriend's parents, then followed her out of the garden.

Sokka couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation, however Suki wasn't impressed the slightest.

"Did you plan that!" she snapped at him.

Sokka grinned and nodded in confirmation.

Suki rolled her eyes, "Ok, get off me."

She pushed him up and rolled him off of her. He landed on the ground with a grunt of displeasure.

"What was that for?" he questioned her.

Suki stood up and brushed the grass off her bright green ceremonial gown.

"I don't exactly feel romantic when you use me to embarrass our daughter," she scolded him.

"Come on, it was a joke," he tried to reason with her, "Come back. We have the place to ourselves now…"

She shook her head in disbelief, "No. _You _have the place to yourself. I'm going back to my room. Besides, you're too drunk anyway. Good night!"

She waved and left her lush husband behind to sober up on the grass alone.

**Rozin and Kya. **

"I can't believe those jerks already drank all the wine," Rozin complained, kicking a small pebble down the road in frustration.

"I guess it's alright," Kya shrugged and looked around. Things were starting to quiet down around them and most of the people were either passed out drunk, or cleaning up after their parties. "Things are already quieting down anyway."

"I guess you're right," Rozin agreed.

An awkward silence came between them as they walked down the road. It was like that for the majority of their trip out into the city. It was just that every time they tried to talk to each other, it ended up being one answered, closed ended questions, or just pointless small talk.

Rozin sighed. This shouldn't be happening. They were friends when they last saw each other, possibly even more. It was as if she'd forgotten about that friendship and only remembered him being a complete jerk to her.

"So what are your plans now that the war is over?" she asked, thankfully breaking the silence.

Rozin shrugged, "I don't know. Guess I'll wait for my father's orders."

Kya sighed for she, unbeknown to Rozin, also wanted to talk to him more. He was, after all, all she thought about for the past four years they were separated. He just seemed so distant and removed from everything around him. She could attribute that to the war, but he was a hero. Heroes don't get affected by battle fatigue.

"Ok, why are you being so quiet?" she asked, fed up with the silence.

Rozin stopped and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "No… you're the one being quiet and giving me the cold shoulder."

"Actually I've been the one trying to start conversation while you've been acting like a depressed child," she stopped and turned to face him.

Rozin sighed and turned his head away, "I don't want to talk about it?"

Kya raised her eyebrow curiously. She knew she struck something deep within him. "Is it because of the war? I mean, you're a hero and practically the poster boy for the Fire Nation-"

"No," Rozin cut her off, "No, it's not that. Even though I don't like it much."

"Then why are you acting like some emotionless jerk!" Kya exploded at him.

Rozin scoffed, "I'm a jerk? How about you?"

"What about me?"

"You spent the whole night getting cozy with Lao without so much as acknowledging my existence!" Rozin yelled back at her, "Even though you know you've got a thing for me."

Kya gasped and Rozin winced, instantly regretting his choice of words and cursing the effects of alcohol. Kya's face burned red with anger causing Rozin to retreat back slightly.

"I mean, uh…" he stammered to try and save himself, but to no avail.

"You are the most egotistical, stuck up, selfish prince in the history of the world!" she shouted, finding it difficult to get the words out with how incredibly pissed she was, "You have no right to tell me who I can and can not like when I've thought about you for four years when you haven't even given me a second thought!"

"Wait, what?" he raised his eyebrow confused.

"Good night, _your highness_," she huffed and turned away.

"Wait, come back!" he desperately called out to her.

"Forget it! I'm going back to Lao," she shouted without looking back, "Don't follow me!"

Rozin sighed, mentally kicking himself for how stupid he was for falling into the same old traps he fell into when they first met. He watched her as she walked away down the road, eventually disappearing into the night. He dare not follow her. No, she needed her space. Anything he did would surely mess everything up even more.

He sighed an lowered his head in the dark, lonely night and whispered to himself, "I never forgot you."

He sighed and turned the opposite way of her back to the palace, ready to end this hellish night.

**A/N: Wow, one week quickly turned into two months. Sorry, had a lot of things going on at once with work, multiple projects, school, and other stuff. Hope you all are still with me. I'll try and update once a week or so. Please try and stick with this one for it will definitely turn into one hell of a is only the beginning...  
**

**Peace, friends.  
**


	4. The Duty of the Avatar

**Chapter 4**

**The Duty of the Avatar  
**

**Palace Conference Chamber**

"And if you see here, my lord," General Sako indicated the giant map of the world on the table, "The remaining Separatist forces have been drawn back, and pretty much restricted, to the Shi Won Desert."

It was mid morning and some of the most important people were seated at a large table in the massive conference chamber of the Omashu Palace.

Avatar Aang sat at the head of the table, appearing bored and tired. Meetings really weren't his favorite thing to do, but, being the Avatar, he realized quickly that meetings and delegations were instrumental to keeping peace. In fact, bringing the leaders of the world together to solve a common problem was his idea four years ago, but he never actually thought the idea would stick.

He glanced over at Zuko to his left, who was staring intensely at the map. He sat next to his wife and Rozin, along with General Sako and some other high ranking officials. This Council of Nations and the Coalition were actually his doing. Zuko wanted to rebuild the world from the aftermath of Sozin's War, and he felt this was his big chance. Aang felt this was unnecessary for the Fire Nation has reclaimed it's honor time and time again, especially in these last four years. Zuko would never hear it. He had to bear the burden of the Fire Nation's sins almost exclusively and he would never rest until the world developed a system of delegation and council to prevent wars like this and Sozin's.

"The Shi Won Desert is vast, barren, and treacherous," Fire Lord Zuko commented, "I don't think a campaign through there would accomplish anything."

"I agree," General Jet chimed from opposite of Aang. Toph and Earth King Haru sat next to him and listened as he continued. "Not only would the heat and massive lack of resources be harmful to our troops, but the Separatists know the land far better than us. They could wipe us out and we wouldn't have a shot in hell at fighting back."

Some nodded in agreement, but one man scoffed at the Earth Kingdom General. Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe. Everyone looked over at the side of the table where the Unified Water Tribes sat at Aang's left. Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Hakoda sat there as well as the Chief of the Northern Tribe.

"After what I witnessed yesterday," the Chief stated, "our Coalition Army could withstand anything. If we could defeat the Separatists here in Omashu, then we could easy take them out in the Desert!"

Sokka winced and rubbed his temples as the annoyingly loud Chief raised his voice. Poor Sokka was still recovering from the massive amount of alcohol the night before.

"Take it easy, Chief," Sokka winced and lowered his head.

Suki snickered silently at her husband's condition.

Jet frowned, "I'm thinking of the safety of my troops, who make up the majority of the Coalition Campaign."

"I would listen to him," Katara, who was now an Ambassador to the Earth Kingdom on behalf of the Water Tribes, "I've been in that desert before, and let me tell you, a waterbender, unless they're an extremely capable master, would be next to powerless there."

"Just the sheer resources needed for a campaign like that would be astronomical," Zuko added.

"Well, then let them have it," Arnook suggested, clearly admitting his defeat, "It's a desert with no natural resources, as you said, General Jet. They're obviously crippled beyond repair. With Azula dead, they have no way of organizing a significant counter attack."

"We have some very important trade routes that go through the Desert," King Haru stated, "It would cut our trade lines in half, further separating the Eastern and Western regions."

"And Azula may be dead, but there's still Long Feng and several other major Separatists out there," Zuko added, "For now they may be subdued, but who's to say they won't regroup in the future?"

"Then why don't we stop the war and resume diplomacy?" Katara suggested.

"It didn't really work before," Zuko said, "Why try it now?"

"She might be on to something," Teo, the leader of the Air Nation, said, "Azula used her manipulation and her power of the Order of Koh to take control of the Separatists and declare war. With her gone, it may be easier to negotiate peace talks."

"With people like Long Feng and Gao in control, I don't see that happening," Jet stated.

"And a costly military campaign isn't going to do much better," Katara retorted, "More lives would be lost and who knows how much longer the war will go on."

"How about we just fly airships over the Desert and bomb the hell out of it?" Toph suggested.

"We don't exactly have enough airships to do that," Zuko said.

"And we still have some ally tribes of sand-benders," Haru added.

"Couldn't we just ask them to help us?" Suki asked.

Haru shook his head, "Though they are Loyalists, they are outnumbered by Separatist tribes two to one. If they actively helped us, that would spell death for their tribes, and they aren't going to risk it."

"So our only options are diplomacy or a risky campaign in the Desert?" Sokka wondered out loud, "I really don't like either of those options."

"That's probably why they fortified themselves in the Desert," Zuko stated, "They knew we'd be tentative about engaging them in open war in that kind of terrain."

"There has to be some other option," Hakoda sighed.

Everyone was silent as they pondered over their options. No one could think of a third option so they would either end up sending troops on a large scale campaign, possibly losing many soldiers and causing the war to go on indefinitely, or resume diplomacy despite the fact that no Separatist has been willing to sit down for a peaceful session.

Zuko frowned. This couldn't be it. He glanced over at his friend, Aang, who was also thinking hard to himself.

Aang looked up and saw the contemplative faces of the delegates, rulers, and generals around him. Aang sighed, realizing what his duty was now.

"I'll do it," he said quietly.

Everyone looked over at the bald monk who rarely spoke at meetings unless it was significant.

Aang looked up more confidently, "I'll take out the remaining Separatists."

"Aang, you can't," Katara said, with concern a wife would have for her husband, "You're just one person. There has to be another way."

"There isn't, Katara," Aang reasoned with her, "Peace talks won't work because they don't want to talk, and I refuse to let more people die and the war continue on any longer than it should. This is my duty. All of you, and your respective nations, has played a huge and significant part in ending this war, but now it's my turn. The duty of the Avatar is to protect and restore peace and balance to the world. No one else should bear this burden."

Zuko nodded, "The Avatar's right. If we take out the Separatists and end the war, history would only see it as a bloody civil war and nothing would be accomplished. If the Avatar stops them, then it would be an act of restoring balance to the world. It has to be done. Let's vote."

Hakoda, the chairman for these type of meetings, stood, "All those in favor of the Avatar's plan, say 'aye'."

Most of the delegates, including Zuko, Jet, Toph, Haru, Mai, Sokka, and Suki nodded and shouted their approval.

"Against?" Hakoda's voice boomed in the chamber.

A few, namely Katara, Teo, and Arnook cast their vote, but it was meaningless. It was decided by the Council of Nations that Aang would defeat the Separatists and finally end the war.

An hour later, after lots of talking and debating, the meeting adjourned and everyone rose to return to their business. Almost everyone exited quickly, save for the Fire Nation royal family, and Sokka and Suki.

Zuko stood and offered his hand to help Mai up, and she obliged.

"I'll see you at lunch," Mai kissed Zuko on the cheek.

Zuko smiled, "Bye."

Mai turned and walked out, leaving Zuko and Rozin behind to gather their paperwork.

Sokka stood and offered his hand to help Suki up, mimicking Zuko, but she held her hand up defiantly and stood up herself.

"Nope, I'm still mad at you for last night," Suki stated, not looking at him.

"Aw come on, baby," Sokka whined, "I was drunk."

Suki scoffed, "Yeah, that's the same excuse you came up with when I got pregnant with Dao."

Sokka winced, clearly defeated.

Suki began to walk out, but she stopped and turned around to stare accusingly at her husband, "Speaking of Dao, have you even seen him yet?"

"Wait, he's here?" Sokka scratched his head trying to remember.

Suki rolled her eyes, "Yes. Him and Ahmo arrived here late last night on Appa."

"Dao flew Appa?" Sokka asked, confused, "He's, like, seven."

"Ahmo flew him over," Suki stated and turned back around to exit the Conference Chamber, "I'll see you at lunch."

Sokka shook his head as he began to collect his papers. He glanced over at Zuko and Rozin who were trying hard to conceal their amused smiles.

"Women, huh?" Sokka shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"What did you do?" Zuko asked.

Sokka shrugged, "Got a little too drunk last night."

"A little?" Zuko asked, amused.

"Take it from me, Rozin," Sokka instructed the Fire Prince, "women and alcohol do not, under any circumstances, mix."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Rozin muttered, recalling last night's argument between him and Kya.

Rozin gathered the last of his papers and was about to head out, but was stopped by his dad.

"Rozin, wait," Zuko called out and held him back by his shoulder.

Rozin turned and faced his father. It has been a year since the two last saw each other, and Zuko could see how much his son had matured since even the beginning of the war. They were alike in many ways, even physically, save for the Zuko's scar and Rozin's eyes. He had his mother's. Rozin was taller and had lightly more muscle mass than Zuko did, and his hair was shorter. But other than those few differences, almost everyone could tell they were father and son.

"Yeah, Dad?" Rozin asked.

'Dad,' Zuko thought to himself. That was a word he rarely used for his own father, Ozai. It was always "Father" or "Ozai", in the latter years of his father's life.

"I have a new mission for you," Zuko stated.

Rozin raised his eyebrow, "For what? Isn't Aang taking care of everything?"

Zuko shook his head, "A different mission. I want you, and your friends, to… go on vacation."

Rozin looked at his father in disbelief, "Vacation?! Why?"

Zuko chuckled, "You know, normal teens wouldn't think twice about going on vacation."

"Well, I'm not a normal teen," Rozin prided himself.

"Exactly," Zuko said, "I let this war rob you of everything I said I wouldn't. When I was your age, I too was at the end of a major war. I lost out on a lot of very important years that others had the luxury of having. I told myself I wouldn't put my kids through that. And now here I am…"

"Well, it's not like it was a bad thing," Rozin shrugged.

"It was," Zuko said, "I want you to live a normal life free from war and destruction. Build up relationships with others your own age."

Rozin sighed. There was no getting out of this. "So where am I going?"

"You, and your friends," Zuko said, "Can go wherever you want, except for the Desert."

"Knew you were going to say that," Rozin muttered. Then something his father said dawned on him, "Wait, what do you mean by friends?"

Zuko sighed, falsely thinking his son knew the obvious, "Jian, Zek, Lao, Lin, Shaola, Kya…"

"I don't know if I can make that work," Rozin scratched the back of his neck nervously upon mention of Kya.

"Well, make it work," Zuko said, "Either that or I'm enrolling you back into the Royal Fire Academy for Boys."

"I'm seventeen," Rozin reminded him.

Zuko nodded, "I know. You have four years of homework to make up."

"You can't do-"

"-that?" Zuko finished with a smirk, "I'm the Fire Lord, I can do whatever I want."

Rozin sighed, "Fine, I'll take your stupid vacation. Can I at least bring a friend?"

Zuko raised his eyebrow, "Asmin?"

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?" Rozin replied, rather surprised at his father's prediction.

Zuko chuckled, "Please. I'm not that oblivious."

Rozin thought for a second, then narrowed his eyes as he came upon realization, "Whoa, are you saying I got a thing for her?!"

Zuko smirked at his son.

"Dad, I do _not _like her," Rozin defended himself to his rather unconvinced dad, "We're just friends!"

"Yeah," Zuko rolled his eyes, "Me and your mom were both just friends at one point, too."

"We don't like each other!" Rozin shouted.

Zuko smirked arrogantly and patted his son on the shoulder, "Give it time."

Rozin rolled his eyes and was about to turn to leave when Sokka intervened in the conversation.

"Hold up!" Sokka exclaimed and rose from the table, approaching Zuko, "My daughter isn't going anywhere with _your son._"

Zuko snapped his head at Rozin and demanded, "What did you do?!"

Rozin turned around and froze, holding up his hands innocently, "Hey, it wasn't me!"

Zuko thought for a second. He was instantly reminded of a conversation he and Mai had about Zek dating Sokka's daughter, Shaola.

"Zek," Zuko muttered under his breath.

"Yeah," Sokka said, "I caught him last night fooling around with my baby daughter."

"She's fourteen, Sokka," Zuko reminded him.

"And…?"

"How old were you when you and Suki traveled the world unsupervised?" Zuko asked.

"Fifteen," Sokka replied, "And we were saving the world, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Zuko smirked, "I remember walking in your tent, and you were pants-less, waiting for Suki. That must have been some world you saved in there."

Sokka's face reddened with embarrassment as Rozin broke out laughing. Sokka turned angrily at Rozin and shouted, "Don't you have a vacation to plan?!"

Rozin stopped laughing waved at the two of them before taking his leave.

Once he was out of earshot, Sokka turned to Zuko and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I knew you would bring that up," Sokka hissed, "You're gonna pay for that."

Zuko smacked away the warrior's finger and rolled his eyes.

"I already did," Zuko recalled, "Remember I slept right next door. I heard a lot of disgusting, disturbing sounds that night."

"Oh, like yours and Mai's are any better?"

"They are."

Sokka shook his head as he recalled that night they camped out after being discovered at the Western Air Temple by Azula.

"Ah, I remember that night," Sokka recollected, "The night me and Suki consummated our love."

"Who talks like that?" Zuko wondered out loud as he gathered the rest of his papers.

"That was the night…" Sokka's face fell as he remembered, "Jian was… conceived."

Zuko paused after gathering his papers and tucking them under his arm, "Wait, I thought that was your honeymoon, and she came early."

"I lied," Sokka said with his head down.

Zuko shook his head and moved past him, muttering under his breath, "Moron."

Sokka popped his head up and followed Zuko out, "Yeah, like you and Mai didn't do anything while her parents were in Omashu and she had a whole mansion to herself."

"I don't discuss things that happen behind bedroom doors," Zuko said flatly.

Sokka scoffed, "That's a yes."

Zuko stopped and looked at his old friend, "What are you getting at?"

"My point is that when teens are alone, they're going to do things that make dads like me nervous," Sokka stated, "Things we did when we were their age."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll have a chaperone go with them."

"Can I trust him?" Sokka asked.

Zuko shrugged, "As far as I know. Plus, he's family."

Sokka sighed, "Fine. But if I become a grandfather at thirty three, I'm killing Zek. And then I'm killing you."

"Whatever," Zuko shrugged off, not even the faintest bit worried over Sokka's bull headed threat.

They walked down the hallway back into the main part of the palace for a while in silence. Then Zuko got the urge to ask Sokka a question.

"So," Zuko started, "do you think Aang fooled around with Katara like we did with Suki and Mai?"

Sokka rolled his eyes, "Yeah, like I'm going to ask the Avatar if he violated my sister before they were married. Some things are best left unanswered, my friend."

**Kya, Shaola, Jian. Kya's Room. **

"So he just blew up at you like that for no reason?" Jian asked her cousin suspiciously as she sat with her back against the wall with her arm propped lazily up on one knee.

"Yeah," Kya explained, leaning her back against the headrest.

The three girls were sitting in Kya's room while the adults were off at the meeting with nothing to do other than nurse their hangovers and talk about the previous night.

Both Jian and Shaola slightly doubted the validity of Kya's recount of last night between her and Rozin and they penetrated her with suspicious stares.

"Ok, fine!" Kya buckled, "I may have, possibly, maybe, blew up at him first."

Jian rolled her eyes, "Now this makes more sense."

"Thanks," Kya rolled her eyes.

"Why'd you yell at him?" Shaola asked as she rolled up side down over the edge of Kya's bed.

"You saw him that night," Kya defended herself against her cousins, "He was such a cold, emotionless jerk."

Jian shrugged as she pulled out her butterfly knife and flicked it out to play around with. "He was fine until you showed up."

Kya glared at her eldest cousin, "That doesn't help me much, Jian."

"Who said I was here to help?" Jian flicked the blade out and shrugged, "I'm just bored."

"Maybe he's got a crush on you," Shaola suggest, looking up at Kya hopefully.

Jian couldn't help but laugh at that one, "Rozin?! A crush?! Get real, sis."

Shaola rolled her eyes at her sister, "Pay no attention to her, Kya."

"Why would Rozin have a…" she didn't want to say it so she lowered her voice and spoke the next word between her teeth, "_Crush_."

Shaola shrugged, "You're pretty, smart, and a hell of a bender. What guy wouldn't like you?"

Kya looked annoyed, "Not like I had much experience in that department."

"What about Lao?"

"What about him?" Kya raised her eyebrow, interested.

"He was practically flirting with you all night," Shaola recalled.

Jian scoffed, "Lao?! Are you kidding me? That guy's dumber than a sack of hammers. If you're going to go with anyone, go with Rozin. Much better looking, smarter, and practically a war hero. Plus, he's the Fire Prince, which means if you marry him, you'd be royalty."

Kya winced, "A little too soon to be talking about marriage when I'm still single."

"Yeah," Shaola noted, "Plus, Lao's got that too. And he's stronger and more personable. You know, for being born royalty and practically a god, Rozin sure has a lot of baggage. By the way, how did it go with him last night?"

Kya rubbed her shoulder uncomfortably, "I don't know. He was a real nice guy. Funny and over all a cool guy."

"Compare that to Rozin, where you end up in a shouting match," Shaola said.

"Ok seriously," Kya held up her hand, fed up with all the gossip, "what is this? Matchmaker for Kya? Let's talk about something else."

A sly smirk came across Jian's face. Shaola caught it and instantly knew what she was thinking of.

"No!" Shaola held up her hand, "Don't you dare!"

"We can talk about how Dad caught Shaola and Zek making out in the Hanging Gardens," Jian smirked mischievously.

Kya's mouth opened in shock and quickly became a hysterical smile. "What?!"

Shaola glared at her older sister as the two other girls laughed like hyenas.

"I'm going to kill you," Shaola muttered to her sister under her breath, "I don't even care that you're my sister."

"Oh lighten up, Shao," Jian waved her sister off, "You gotta admit it was funny as hell."

"Yeah, Dad's not exactly on my favorites list right now," Shaola stated, "Mom's neither."

"What? Did he beat up Zek, or something?" Kya asked, interested.

"No…" Shaola scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably.

Jian began to laugh again, "No, even better. Tell her, sis."

Shaola shot a glare at her sister, then looked down shamefully, "No… he… made out… with my." She gulped before muttering the last word, "Mom."

Kya was unimpressed, "So?"

Shaola glanced at her, "In front of us…"

It took a second to register with Kya, but when it did, it hit her like a ton of bricks and she nearly died and fell of the bed laughing. Jian joined her causing Shaola's face to turn bright red and glare right at her older sister.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Shaola mocked her sister, "Could've easily caught you and Tom."

Jian stopped and rolled her eyes and turned to hide her slight blush at the mention of a certain major in the Fire Nation Army.

A small chuckle of laughter was heard from outside the cracked open door, averting the girls' attention to the door way. The door opened and a twelve year old Ahmo and seven year old Dao walked in the room.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Ahmo asked with a small, shy smile on his face.

Kya was ecstatic at seeing her little brother and instantly forgot about her boy troubles and practically rushed and tackled him with a crushing hug.

"Ahmo!" she lovingly strangled the poor boy, "I'm so glad to see you?!"

Poor Ahmo was struggling for air and tried to pull his older sister off of him. "Ok, sis, love you too, but I also love breathing."

She let go and got a good look of him. He wasn't the little boy she left home over a year ago. He'd grown up into a lanky pre teen, almost picturesque of their dad when he was that age, except with short hair and a slightly darker complexion. He was taller, too and stood nearly eye level with her. Kya also noted his cracking voice signaling his transition into the painfully awkward years of being a teenager.

"Wow," she said, impressed, "You've grown a lot since I've seen you last. When'd you get here?"

"Last night," he replied, "Got to take Appa all by myself."

"Hey," Dao, the youngest boy and Jian and Shaola's brother, piped up, "I rode with you!"

"Think they figured that one out, cuz," Ahmo tussled the seven year olds messy brown mop of hair.

Kya pulled her youngest cousin into a crushing hug, "I missed you, too, Dao. And you've grown up as well."

"He's still the little runt of the family," Jian got up and playfully popped him one on the shoulder, "Right, little bro?"

Dao didn't care about his sister's back handed compliment, and just smiled and popped her one back. He turned around just in time to see his other sister come crashing into him and pulling him into a choke hold.

"So glad to see you after so long," Shaola squished her little brother.

"It's only been a year," Dao replied, gasping for air.

Shaola let him go and tussled his hair.

"Why does everyone mess with my hair?" Dao wondered out loud and ran his hands through his hair to revert it back to a slightly less messy look.

"So how was Appa?" Kya asked, settling back down.

"Great!" Ahmo said, "Dad says he's gonna let me take over his reigns when he get's back from the war."

Kya's face turned serious, "What do you mean? The war's over. Azula's gone."

"That's kind of why we're here," Ahmo stated, "We ran into Rozin and he said to come get you guys. Something about new orders, I don't know."

Kya's face turned bitter and muttered, "Coward couldn't come himself?"

"Just Kya, or all of us?" Jian asked.

"All, as far as I know," Ahmo shrugged.

"Guess we should go," Shaola suggested, "Could be important."

"Or just a repeat of last night…" Kya muttered bitterly.

Ahmo looked confused. Last he saw Rozin and Kya together, the seemed to be getting along famously. What changed? He looked at Jian and whispered into her ear. "Did I miss something?"

Jian rolled her eyes at the stupidity of the whole situation, "Dumb girl stuff you wouldn't care about."

Ahmo shrugged it off and rolled his eyes. He was twelve and still out of the loop, just like so many times before.

"Suppose we better go," Jian said then turned to Kya, "Sooner we get this over with, sooner you could go back to ignoring him."

Kya huffed, "Fine."

Kya left the room, followed by the rest of her kin.

**Aang and Katara. Their Chambers. **

"I still don't know why you have to go do this by yourself," Katara scolded Aang, pacing up and down the room, "This is just like after Ba Sing Se fell and you felt like you had to do everything yourself."

Aang stood silently on the balcony overlooking Omashu in the mid afternoon light. The city looked so peaceful compared to the chaos and war of yesterday.

"This isn't the same, Katara," Aang reasoned with her, "Last time I was stupid and thought I could do it without you guys, but this isn't like that. I'm not fighting Ozai or Azula. I'm fighting a bunch of disorganized Separatists, kind of like what I did before the war."

"You don't have to go it alone," Katara said.

"And who's going to help me?" Aang snapped and turned around, "You? You're going to Ba Sing Se to help with the Council of Nations, your duty. Sokka and Suki are going back to rebuild Kyoshi, their duty. Zuko's going back to the Fire Nation, his duty. This is _mine_!"

Katara sighed and turned away from her husband, irked at his beliefs. "You could bring some of the soldiers with you…"

Aang shook his head, "Their jobs require them elsewhere. Rebuilding the Earth Kingdom and ensuring more Separatists won't attack again."

"Aang, you've been fighting this war for four long years," Katara tried to reason with him, "You've fought harder than almost anyone. Give yourself a break and let someone else handle this."

Aang looked down, "I can't. You heard them all. The only way to peacefully restore balance is for me, the Avatar, to end the war. Not some Council or Coalition. Me. And you know it."

"Fine," she said defiantly, "Then I'll go with you."

"No," Aang said, "No, you're needed in the Council."

"Someone else could represent the Water Tribes," Katara said.

"The people only listen to you," Aang said, "Because you, more than any other Water Tribesman, has actually been around the world and dealt with politics like this. Plus, you're one of the Heroes. People are counting on you, like they are counting on me. Don't be so selfish."

Katara's face scrunched in anger, and Aang instantly recognized his subconscious slip of the tongue.

"_I'm _selfish?!" she shouted, "I'm selfish?! You're the one refusing help when there are hundreds who will gladly offer it, including me!"

"I'm being realistic!" Aang defended himself, "We're not kids anymore. We're important, influential people. I can't let my feelings get in the way of what needs to be done!"

"Fine!" Katara spat and turned to exit the room, "You win! Save the world on your own, for all I care! Forget about your family, who loves you, and do your precious duty!"

"Katara!" Aang called desperately.

But she wouldn't hear it. The famously stubborn waterbender, with a short fuse, opened and slammed the doors behind her as she exited, the sound booming through the vast palace.

Aang turned his head away in anger and frustration. He walked over to his staff and flicked it, causing the wings to pop out. With his glider in hand, he jumped off the balcony and flew off towards the horizon. Flying always cleared his head before, and now it needed clearing more than ever.

**The Young Heroes. Courtyard. **

"A vacation?!" Jian exclaimed unbelievably, more irked than excited.

Rozin had just passed on the information to the others in the Palace's Courtyard. He stood next to a large boulder, with Asmin next to him, while the others lounged about around him.

Jian, obviously, wasn't very enthralled by the idea seeing as their last "vacation" together ended with them fighting for their lives in Ba Sing Se against Azula and her Face Stealers. Plus, she, like Rozin, was too much into warrior mode and would rather fight more of the war than lounge about on a forced vacation.

"I think it sounds great!" Shaola exclaimed, obviously in love with the idea, "We could go to Ember Island just like the old days."

Zek looked at her incredulously as he stood next to her with his arm around her waist, "Are you kidding me? Remember what happened that last time?"

"I remember that's where we first met," she said in a sweet voice, "Oh, and Kya and Rozin fought on the beach."

Rozin and Kya glanced at each other for a split second. Despite their current disdain for one another, they couldn't help but smirk as they remembered their first encounter together.

Zek sighed, almost exactly like his mother, "No… we were attacked by those Face Stealers, remember?"

"Oh, right," Shaola remembered, "Still, that was four years ago, and the war is over."

"It's only been over for a day," Lao stated.

"Plus, why do we got to go to someplace tropical?" Kya asked, "Why don't we go to the South Pole, or the North?"

"Because no one wants to freeze their ass off while on this forced vacation," Rozin stated flatly.

"You only freeze if you don't wear the right clothing," Kya sneered, "Like, for example, a Fire Nation silk tunic."

Rozin glanced down at the burgundy silk tunic he had on, then rolled his eyes. He wasn't about to get into an argument especially if they were to spend the next few weeks together.

Lao shook his head, noticing that no one was getting anywhere with their vacation ideas. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a papyrus map of the world and unfolded it, lying it on a boulder on the ground.

"This ought to help a little," Lao stated as the others gathered around them.

Lao pointed at two small islands in Chameleon Bay, "Here we go, Blurshok Island."

"What's so special about some island in the Earth Kingdom?" Rozin asked glaringly.

"If we go there in time for the Equinox, then we could experience on of the many Earth Kingdom traditions," Lao smirked, "Equinox Fest."

"Never heard of it," Zek shook his head.

"Naturally you wouldn't, being in the Fire Nation and all," Lao sneered, "There you guys celebrate the Summer Solstice, right?"

Rozin and Zek nodded.

"Well, here in the Earth Kingdom," Lao continued, "We celebrate the Spring Equinox."

"But why would we have to go over to the other side of the Earth Kingdom?" Jian asked.

Lao smirked, "Ba Sing Se's university is the biggest university in the world. Every student would be packed on that tiny island for a night of heavy partying."

"Hey, I want to see the South Pole again," Kya said, "It's my home and I haven't been there in years."

"I thought you lived in the Southern Air Temple," Rozin asked.

"I did, but I was born in the South Pole," Kya stated, "And I would love to show you guys the place."

"Well, I would like to go to Marchon Island," Jian threw in, "It's supposed to be twice as much of a tropical paradise than Ember Island."

"Why should you get to choose?" Kya asked.

"Because I'm the oldest," Jian stated proudly.

"By one month," Rozin said.

"Still," Jian rolled her eyes, "That means I'm the leader by default."

Rozin scoffed, "Yeah, and I'm a flying lemur."

"Hey, hold up," Lao said, "Seeing as we're in the Earth Kingdom, that makes me in charge."

"Like hell it does," Rozin glared.

"Ok, children," Tom said as he approached, alerting everyone to his presence.

Tom walked up to the boulder and stood next to Jian, causing her to blush.

"What are you doing here?" Rozin questioned.

"I guess your parents decided that leaving a bunch of teens on their own go on vacation wasn't a great idea," Tom shrugged.

"Thank the gods," Rozin muttered, then raised his voice back to normal, "So the vacation's off?"

Tom shook his head with a smirk, "You're not getting out of it that easily. No, it's still on, only you guys have a chaperone now."

"Who?" Lao asked.

Tom smirked, "Me."

Rozin looked at him incredulously, "You're only two years older than me."

"Your point?"

"We don't need a baby sitter," Rozin exclaimed, "Hell, me and Jian are already past betrothal age."

Jian put a hand on Rozin's shoulder to quiet him, "No, no, no, Rozin. If he wants to go to keep us safe, on his own time no less, then we should let him come with us."

Rozin groaned and rolled his eyes, he obviously wasn't going to win with Jian having a thing for the very guy he doesn't want coming.

"Whatever…" he sighed.

"Besides, you look like you need help with deciding on a place to go," Tom stated.

"Any suggestions?" Jian asked, praying for a romantic location.

"How about, all of them?" Tom said.

"All of them?" Zek repeated.

"Yeah, you guys have a month to play with, so why not turn it into a road trip?"

The others contemplated it for a second until Asmin broke the silence.

"I like it," Asmin said, earning a glare from Rozin, "but has anyone given any thought as to how we're going to get there?"

Everyone looked at each other, obviously too into the destination and not the most important part, the journey.

"A balloon?" Jian suggested.

Rozin shook his head, "Too small. A boat?"

"Too much time," Shaola shook her head.

"How about Appa?" Kya offered.

Everyone looked at her in agreement.

"Will your dad let you?" Shaola asked.

"I don't see why not," Kya said, "The only problem would be Ahmo. He's going to feel left out because he won't be coming."

"Why not?" Shaola asked.

"Mom wants him and Dao to stay with her in Ba Sing Se," Kya shrugged, "I guess if he's going to be there, then flying on Appa should be no problem."

"Appa it is then," Tom nodded in agreement.

**Shaola and Zek. Shaola's Room. **

Shaola was busy packing her bags as Zek absentmindedly rolled a sliver coin between his fingers as he stared into space.

"You know, you could help," Shaola suggested annoyingly.

"Yeah, I know," Zek stated without looking at her.

Shaola rolled her eyes. As focused as Zek could be, sometimes he directed that focus at something completely meaningless and unimportant.

"Why do you always play with that thing?" Shaola asked, getting back to folding her clothes.

Zek shrugged as he caught the coin between two of his fingers, "I get bored easily."

Shaola looked away with dismay in her eyes, which Zek instantly noticed. He stashed the coin back in his pocket and walked up behind her, gently grabbing her by the waist and holding her close.

"Though, I'm never bored when I'm with you," he whispered softly in her ear, kissing the back of her head.

Shaola's dismay was instantly replaced by bliss as he kissed her again, this time just shy of her earlobe. She closed her eyes in pleasure of the attention her boyfriend was giving her.

"Zek," she breathed, "we shouldn't be doing this. Especially with my dad around."

Zek was instantly brought back to reality at the mention of Sokka, and what occurred last night.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to piss off the old man, now would we?" Sokka inquired with a serious, low voice from the door frame.

Shaola and Zek turned to see Sokka glaring daggers, no, swords into Zek's eyes. Zek instinctively took a giant step back and away from Shaola, but Sokka glared nonetheless.

"Dad?!" Shaola shouted, embarrassed, "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask _him _the same question," Sokka nodded in Zek's direction.

Zek grinned nervously, "I was… uh…"

"You have five seconds to get out of my daughter's room, and out of my sight, before I introduce you to my boomerang," Sokka warned, "Five… four…"

Zek glanced at Shaola for a brief second, "I'll see you later."

He turned and ran out the door past Sokka, wanting to get as far away from there as possible.

Sokka then stared at his daughter. His youngest daughter. His baby girl. Fooling around with some Fire Nation boy. He couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach.

Shaola, however, glared at her father, "Why did you do that?!"

"Why are you yelling at me?!" Sokka threw his hands in the air melodramatically, "He's the one who had his hands all over you. You can't let guys do that!"

"For your information, Dad, Zek is my boyfriend!" Shaola shouted back, "And we love each other!"

Sokka was completely bewildered and taken aback by her statement, "You love each other?! You can't love someone at fourteen!"

Shaola huffed, "You fell in love with Mom at fifteen. Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara fell in love earlier than that!"

Sokka shook his head, "That was different."

"How so?" Shaola demanded, eagerly anticipating her father's lame excuse.

Sokka stammered, "Because… because… it is!"

Shaola rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't matter anyway because you are not spending a month alone with him unsupervised," Sokka declared.

Shaola now became livid with him, "What?! You can't do that! Besides, we won't be unsupervised."

Sokka rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Tom-Tom is a great chaperone."

"This isn't fair!" Shaola huffed and stamped her foot down.

Sokka was about to make a witty, parental comeback, but suddenly winced in pain as Suki's hand smacked the back of his head. "Ow!"

"You know, you have to consult me before you make family decisions," Suki smirked and joined her daughter's side.

Sokka puffed out his chest in an attempt to be more masculine, "Sorry but I am the head of this family, here!"

Suki scoffed and rolled her eyes, muttering, "In your dreams."

"I am!" Sokka's voice cracked, "So she's not going. Not with that teenage horn-dog flying with them."

"Yes, she is," Suki stated, supporting her daughter.

At that time, Jian passed by through the hallway with a bag of fire flakes in her hand. She caught sight of the argument taking place and backed up to get front row seats to this squabble. She smirked and leaned against the doorframe behind her father, munching on some fire flakes as she enjoyed the show.

"Don't contradict me in front of the kids," Sokka told his wife.

"I will when you act like a crazy person who isn't making a lick of sense," Suki said.

Sokka groaned and threw his hands up in frustration, essentially giving up. It was two on one, and girls play dirty, especially the ones in his family. He shook his head in utter disbelief of what he was going to say next.

"Fine!" he shouted and turned back to his youngest daughter and wife, mumbling, "you can go."

Shaola looked up at him in disbelief, "You serious?"

Sokka nodded, "Yes."

Shaola smiled a big, wide grin and ran over to her father, pulling him into a vice-like hug.

"Thank you, Daddy," she kissed him on the cheek several times, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Yes, yes, yes, ok," Sokka pulled her away and stared her face to face, "Just promise me you'll be careful, ok? Can you promise your generous, caring daddy that?"

Shaola nodded quickly, "I will, Dad. You don't have to worry."

She kissed him once more on the cheek and took off down the hall, presumably after Zek to tell him the good news.

Sokka watched her dash out with concern on his face, "That's what I'm worried about."

Just as Sokka turned back away from the doorway, he felt yet another hand slap the back of his head.

"Ow!" he shouted and rubbed the back of his head.

He turned and saw a gloomier looking Mai than usual standing behind him.

"Spirits, do all women hate me today?!" he cursed.

"Zuko told me about your little question in the Conference Chamber earlier today," Mai glowered, "Jerk."

She smacked him on the back of the head again before turning around and leaving.

Sokka glared at her as she left, muttering some inaudible curse words about Zuko ratting him out.

Suki, however, took pity on her poor husband and snuggled up close to him, draping his arm around her.

"Aw, sweetie, not every woman hates you," she traced her finger along his chest, effectively getting his attention, "In fact, this one has become very fond of you over the past several years."

He looked down at her and smirked that goofy looking smile he still had since they first met. She gently grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a quick peck on the lips, which made him forget about the recent head slapping and yelling.

"Yeah, Dad," Jian said, still standing in the doorway, "You're not all bad."

Sokka beamed. "If anyone asks, Jian, you're the favorite," he said in half seriousness.

Jian smirked as she began to walk off, "Yeah, I know."

Sokka turned back and held Suki as he stared into her deep blue eyes, "You know, we have some of the craziest kids."

Suki couldn't help but chuckle at that, "With you as their father, I'm surprised it took them this long."

Sokka frowned, but Suki gave him a reassuring kiss. "But I wouldn't trade it in for the world," she said softly against his lips, giving him that warm feeling of love and happiness.

**Aang. Palace Rooftop. **

Aang stood at the edge of the highest tower of the palace and the highest point in the city, as he looked down and stared at the now lit city of Omashu, glowing in the night. His mind, going around a million miles per hour, contemplating the thoughts of what happened today. Mostly between him and Katara, and the recent plan to effectively end the war.

It's always been like this. For as long as he could remember being the Avatar he's been torn between his personal life, and his duties to the whole world. Whether it be his paternal attachment to Gyatso, or his romantic attachment to Katara, somehow his personal life just conflicted with everything being the Avatar was supposed to be about. Now he understood why Kyoshi never married. Some days, it seemed, it was just too much trouble.

Aang shook his head. No. He had to push those thoughts from his head. What he has with Katara, and his family, he wouldn't trade for the whole of the earth. In fact, it was what he believed made him fighter stronger and harder than ever before in his life. He didn't just protect the world, but the people he loved so they could live in this world. He would do anything in the Mortal World and the Spirit World to do that. Anything.

He heard a door squeak open behind him and shut, interrupting him from his thoughts. He turned and saw his old friend, Zuko, approach him.

Zuko joined Aang at the edge of the rail Aang was sitting on and leaned over it.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Zuko asked him.

Aang nodded, "I've been ready."

Zuko nodded in agreement, "I really hope you can end this as quickly as possible, Aang. I'm really counting on you."

"You and the rest of the world," Aang stated.

"It's not just that," Zuko stated, full of charisma, "We have an opportunity here. An opportunity that has never before came about in the history of our world. An opportunity which people have only dreamed about until now."

Aang looked at him quizzically, "What are you getting at?"

"For the first time in history all nations allied together and rallied to bring peace in the world we live in," Zuko said, "That's never happened before. There've never been treaties, or anything like the Council of Nations ever. I think we're on the verge of something great in our world."

Zuko looked at Aang, who still wasn't comprehending what Zuko was getting at.

"A New World Order," Zuko stated, "Not of four nations, but as one untied world we'll continue forth."

"What?!" Aang exclaimed, "No. That can't happen. The world was meant to be four nations, that's it!"

"And what good has that done us?" Zuko frowned, "For almost the last two hundred years the world has torn itself apart in ever increasingly destructive wars. What good is it with having only the four nations if all we're going to do is destroy ourselves in the end?"

"Balance," Aang said, "It's to keep balance in the world. What you're suggesting is exactly what Sozin tried to tell Roku. And what your father nearly achieved doing!"

Zuko shook his head, "No. They tried to unite the world through war and destruction. I'm doing it by peace. Think about it, Aang. With the Council of Nations around, people can work out their own problems through diplomacy and not resorting to war. We will have a thousand years of peace under my new ideal."

"_Your _new ideal?" Aang raised an eyebrow.

"This is what I have been working at for the last four years," Zuko narrowed his eyes in an all too familiar glare, "I've been trying to keep together this Coalition and the treaties for it so we could beat the Separatists."

"And what's going to happen now that the enemy is gone?" Aang questioned, "What is your Council of Nations going to do?"

Zuko frowned and turned away, "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"I am the Avatar!" Aang shouted, "This kind of falls under my jurisdiction."

Zuko headed back towards the door. He wasn't going to explain any of this to a guy who barely even paid attention during diplomatic meetings. He did, however, stop as he opened the door, and turned to Aang.

"Your people were obliterated to almost nothing, Aang," Zuko said softly.

Aang turned and scowled as Zuko brought up the painful fate of his people.

"Do you really want something like that to happen to another group of people?" Zuko said, "With this system, we could prevent it from ever happening again. I'm not looking for your permission, nor blessing. Just your understanding. Good night."

Zuko turned back to the door and let it close behind him.

Aang blinked back a small tear and closed his eyes as he let the gentle, spring night breeze brush against his face. What was his world coming to?

**A/N: Wow that was a long chapter. Probably the longest I've ever written. Anyway, so we get a couple of newly re-introduced characters, a vacation for the Young Heroes (though it's hardly going to be relaxing), an overprotective Sokka, Kataang angst (how often do you see that?), glimpses into Zuko's intentions with the current state of world affairs, and Aang getting more and more conflicted with every sentence. **

**So let's see some reviews! Especially predictions. I'd love to hear what you guys think about what's going to happen. **

**Peace, folks!  
**


	5. The Forest

**Chapter 5**

**The Forest**

**Aang. The Meishon Forest**

It was night by the time Aang approached the Meishon Forest. He swooped down on his glider, heading for the dark mass of trees beneath him. He collapsed the glider just above the tree branches and fell through the trees, landing on both his feet.

He quickly went on the alert. He was now back in Separatist territory. The light from the half moon above didn't help matters much for it only cast eerie, twisted shadows as it shone through the trees. Luckily Aang didn't have to rely on sight as most others did. He lifted his foot and tamped on the damp earth beneath him.

A small, unnoticeable tremor rippled around him and reverberated around the forest floor. Aang waited as he read and interpreted what he felt. It seemed the only living things that were around him were the slumbering animals that resided there.

Aang leaned his staff against a nearby oak tree and pulled a map from his robes. With one hand he held it open in front of him, and with the other hand he conjured a small flame to illuminate it.

He studied the map and noted a red dot at the base of the mountains north west of Omashu, indicating the closest Separatist base well within the Meishon Forest. Aang nodded and folded up the map, stuffing it back in his robes. He looked around one more time to check his surroundings before clearing a small space on the forest floor to rest. It was a long day and he had been traveling for most of it. If he wanted to fight these Separatists, he would be better off getting some rest and waiting until dawn.

As he lied in the pile of damp leaves, his mind drifted back to earlier that moring back in Omashu…

_**Aang. His and Katara's Chambers in Omashu. **_

_The wooden door to his and Katara's chambers gently and quietly swung open as Aang walked in. He tip-toed in and gently closed the door behind him. It was early in the morning and the sun had yet to rise in the east, but the glow of the predawn light turned the sky outside their balcony into a serene, purple like color. Beauty and calm before the storm. _

_His eyes moved from outside the balcony and drifted over to his wife who slumbered away, tucked in the green, silk sheets of their bed. Even in her sleep, she was still as beautiful as a goddess. The woman of his dreams. How could he have deserved such a wife? With all the obligations of his role as the Avatar burdened him, he had to wonder why she stuck with him like this for so long. He smiled, realizing how incredibly lucky he was, and quietly propped his staff against the wall and removed his robe and pendant, before approaching the bed. _

_He delicately pulled back the sheets and carefully climbed into bed behind her, careful not to wake her. As he pulled the sheets back over him, he followed through with his arm and draped it over her, holding her close. _

_Katara stirred awake and became aware of his presence. She turned and looked at him, confused mostly due to her having just been awoken. _

"_Aang?" she asked drowsily, "Where were you? You've been gone all-"_

_Aang put a finger on her lips to silence her. "Shh. I had a lot on my mind. Needed some time to think. But it's all ok now. Go back to sleep."_

_Katara nodded unquestioningly and turned back around to her original position, only this time adjusting to his position and snuggling up closer to him. _

_Aang couldn't help but smirk. She always had a habit of agreeing to whatever he said after being just woken up from a deep sleep. He learned long ago that was the best way to solve their arguments. _

"_I'm sorry for yelling at you, Aang," Katara apologized with her eyes closed as she tried to get back to sleep. _

_Aang's face softened and he kissed her on her temple. "It's ok, Katara. I should be the one apologizing."_

_Katara shook her head, "But you were right, though. I was being selfish."_

"_You were only concerned for me," Aang whispered, "I understand, believe me."_

_She blinked a small tear and sniffed a little. She took his hand and held it close to her heart, "I just don't want you to go. I have a real bad feeling about this."_

_Aang sighed and kissed her again reassuringly, "I know, but I have to do this. I have to bring peace to the world. I have to."_

_She sighed, "Why is it you? Why does it always have to be you?"_

_Aang thought for a second in silence. _

_Katara turned and gazed into those steel gray eyes that she loved. _

_Aang lowered his eyes and looked away, "It's who I was born to be."_

_He leaned in and kissed her, this time on the lips. "But let's not think about this now. This won't take nearly as long as the war, and definitely not as long as Sozin's. I'll be back before you know it. And we'll finally be at peace. Forever."_

_He kissed her, this time longer and more passionately, pulling her closer. She eagerly returned the gesture, full knowing where it was going. They weren't going to let world affairs dictate their love. Now, they were going to forget all about it and focus only on each other. They'll worry about tomorrow when it comes. _

_**Omashu Palace.**_

_The Heroes of Sozin's Comet and the Young Heroes were in the Courtyard of the palace as they loaded up Appa with the Young Heroes luggage and belongings. _

_Ahmo stood by his mother and pouted. He had just finally got the right to fly Appa, and his dad was practically giving him to him. And now his older sister, and the rest of the older kids, were taking him away from him. _

"_Why can't I go with them?" Ahmo asked for the twentieth time upon hearing the news of the Young Heroes taking Appa. _

_Katara sighed, "I told you already, Ahmo, you're too young."_

_Ahmo looked at his mother pleadingly, "I'm twelve, remember? It's not too young. Dad saved the whole world when he was just twelve!"_

"_One hundred twelve, technically," Katara muttered before looking down at her youngest, "Besides he _did _run away from home, too." _

_Ahmo crossed his arms and huffed. _

_Katara couldn't help but smile at her son's melodramatic actions. One look at him and anyone could see he's Aang's son, but only when you got into talking with him would one realize Katara's his mother. His stubbornness could, at times, be dead on with hers. _

_She smiled and wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulling him into a comforting hug. Spirits, the kid was getting big. Soon he would tower over her. _

"_Aw, sweetie," she cooed, "We'll have our fun in Ba Sing Se."_

"_I've been there six times already," Ahmo said, "And I didn't even like it the first time."_

_He, of course, referred to their first visit to Ba Sing Se when Azula attacked them and the other kids in the palace. The whole thing nearly cost them their lives, and it did cost the whole world the life of the great General Iroh. _

"_I don't blame you, honey," she tried to reassure him, "but at least you'll have Dao there with you."_

"_I guess," he frowned. It was no use being negative on things that weren't in his control. He had to make the best of it, he supposed._

_Aang approached his wife and son, kissing her on the cheek. _

"_Got room for one more?" Aang smiled. _

_Katara smiled in return as he put his arm around her. "For you? Always."_

_Ahmo sighed and rolled his eyes, not exactly comfortable when his parents were being all lovey-dovey with each other. Then again what kid would be?_

_Kya walked up and stood in front of the rest of her family. While she was happy to go on a vacation and spend some time with her friends, she was sad that she had to leave her family, yet again. Of course she fought along side her mother, and stayed with Ahmo for three of the four years of the war. Mostly she was going to miss her dad. She saw him only three times prior to the Battle of Omashu, and hated being away from him. Before the war, her and her dad were virtually inseparable. She was a daddy's girl and was damn proud to admit it too. _

"_Well, all our stuff's packed…" she announced. _

"_Oh, honey," Katara practically ran forward and pulled her into a crushing hug, maternal instincts kicking in and instantly sensing her daughter's sadness, even though she didn't outwardly show it. _

_Kya hugged her mother back just as much as she hugged her. Though a daddy's girl, she couldn't help but feel so attached to her mom. She was, in fact, named after her late grandmother and was a strong, determined waterbender like her. After fighting together, not as mother and daughter but as equal soldiers, they knew each other so well and could easily read one another. _

"_I'll miss you," Katara kissed her daughter on the cheek, trying to hold back her tears. _

_Aang joined the two girls of his life in a hug goodbye. "I'll miss you, too, Kya."_

_Aang kissed her on the cheek as they held each other in a group hug. _

_Kya looked up and spotted Ahmo left all by himself back where his parents were once standing. _

"_Get over here, little brother," she motioned for him to come join. _

_Ahmo walked over to join. Even though he hated her for using Appa, he could never really hate his sister. He would definitely miss her, too. _

_Aang and Katara parted and allowed Ahmo to be sandwiched in the middle between the three of them. _

_They lingered for a few seconds before Kya let go. "I should get going…"_

_Aang and Katara nodded in agreement as she took a few more steps towards Appa, who was getting impatient and itching to fly. _

"_I love you," Katara called out, "and remember, we're all meeting in Ba Sing Se in one month!"_

"_I love you, too," Kya waved as she walked backwards to Appa, "And I'll see you all there."_

_Kya was the last of the kids to board Appa. She took the reigns and, with the rest of them, waved good bye to their parents. _

_She gave a flick to the reigns and yelled, "Yip, yip!" and Appa roared and levitated up in the air before flying off, out into the horizon. _

_All the parents waved their kids off until they became nothing more than a speck in the sky, and then nothing. _

"_It's so weird to watch her go like this," Katara thought out loud, "I mean, with the war, she was with me. Now, she's on her own."_

_Aang smiled at her, "She'll be fine. She's faced Face Stealers, Separatists, and Azula herself. I think she can handle a little R&R. She does have the best genes in the world, after all."_

_Katara chuckled as the other three pairs of parents walked up to them, Zuko and Mai, Sokka and Suki, and Haru and Ty Lee. _

_Haru nodded at her, "Katara, the airship will be leaving in a few."_

_Katara nodded, "I'll be there."_

_Haru nodded, and left with Ty Lee to board the airship. _

"_Good luck, Aang," Haru called out. _

_Ty Lee ran over and gave her old friend her big, signature hug. "Yeah, be careful!"_

_Aang nodded, trying to breath and not be choked by her crushing hug, "I will. You, too."_

_Ty Lee let go and hurried off to catch up with her husband to board the airship. _

"_Give them hell for us, Aang!" Sokka shook his hand and slapped him on the shoulder. _

_Aang smirked, "You know it."_

_Suki gave him a quick hug, "Take care, Aang."_

"_I will."_

_Unbeknown to everyone, Toph approached and popped Aang one on the shoulder. Aang winced and rubbed his shoulder, though smiling for he realized only one person would do that; Toph. _

"_Still got baby skin, eh Twinkle Toes?" Toph smirked, "It's a wonder you're not covered in bruises between all those Separatists and me hitting you."_

_Aang smiled, "I'll miss you too, Toph." _

_She gave him a rare hug, "Kick ass, Twinkle Toes."_

_The Royal Fire Nation couple then approached as Toph parted and headed back to the airship. _

"_Good luck, Aang," Mai simply nodded. They weren't exactly close on a personal level, but just enough for her to use his name, instead of a title, and show traces and hints of caring in her voice. _

"_I'll try," was all Aang could offer in response. The feelings mutual, apparently._

_Zuko offered Aang a handshake, which Aang took without question. Even after their mutual disagreement about their political views, they were still friends and brothers to the same cause; peace. _

"_Take care of yourself," Zuko said. _

"_I will," Aang said, then brought up the conversation from last night, "Zuko, about-"_

_Zuko held up his hand to silence him, "We won't do anything until you return. It's all talk until then."_

_Aang nodded. Maybe there was still a chance to preserve the sanctity of the four nations. And that would be his next battle, but for now.._

_He grabbed his staff and tapped it on the ground, opening the wings and making it flyable. He turned to Katara, standing in front of her. The others walked away to give the couple some time to say their good byes. _

"_So…," Katara began, twirling a strand of her hair._

"_So…," Aang repeated. _

_After a few seconds of extenuating silence, Katara was the one to break the silence. _

"_Come back in one piece, ok," Katara looked away sadly, "For both our sakes."_

_Aang hardened his gaze and lifted her head up to peer into those beautiful, ocean blue eyes. _

"_Hey, I'll be ok," he reassured her, "Look, I've been through worse then this before in the past. I'll be fine."_

_Katara looked down again, "I don't know, Aang. I just can't get over this bad feeling."_

_Aang sighed. He looked down at her. Seeing her sad and worried almost made him not want to go. But he had to. He had to bring peace to the world. _

_He tilted her head up and leaned in for a reassuring kiss which she eagerly returned. Katara wrapped her arms around his neck, as his found their way down to her waist as they pulled each other as close as humanly possible, totally entranced by the euphoric aura about them. _

_They parted and held each other in a lasting embrace. They never wanted this moment to end, much like before the Day of Black Sun when they shared their first kiss on top of the submarines in the enemy Fire Nation bay. How young they were back then, and how much simpler things were. Yes there was war, but everyone knew the enemy then. Here, now, enemies were everywhere, and they compromised everything they held dear. _

"_I have to go," Aang strained himself to say. How he wanted this moment to last. _

_Katara sniffed as a tear dripped down her cheek, "I know."_

_They parted a few inches and gave one last look at each other. _

"_I love you," Katara professed. _

_Aang nodded, "I know. And I'll be back before you know it."_

_And with that he stepped back, and with a gust of wind, he blasted off into the air and flew off to meet that horizon. _

_Katara watched as the love of her life flew farther and farther away until he became one with the sky. Though she didn't want to admit, she felt, deep within herself, that this would be the last time she would ever see him. She hoped she was wrong. Oh Spirits she hoped she was wrong. _

**Aang. Meishon Forest. **

Aang stirred in his makeshift bed of leaves and twigs, finally lulling himself to sleep.

**Young Heroes. **

"Are we there yet?" Shaola complained for the tenth time in the last hour.

Dusk had come and gone, and now the sky was black with the stars and the rising of the moon. They had to be close to the South Pole by now. The air had become more and more frigid with each passing mile, and now seemingly small white specks of icebergs floated and bobbed in the black water below them.

"I told you ten minutes ago we should be there any minute," Kya rolled her eyes as she focused on the horizon.

Shaola shrugged and huddled closer to Zek, "That's what you said ten minutes ago…"

Jian took note of her sister's proximity to the boy her father hated. "I'd be careful if I were you, Zek. You wouldn't want my dad to hurt you in unspeakable ways, now would you?"

Zek stiffened up and moved his hand up away from her. He was instantly reminded of the conversation he and Sokka had shortly before they left. Sokka had pulled him aside and mentioned something about "if he defiled her, he would make him useless as a man." Zek didn't exactly know what Sokka would do, but he wasn't going to test the waters and find out. Well, not with Jian, Sokka's little spy, hanging around.

Shaola, meanwhile, rolled her eyes, "Come on, it's freezing out here!"

Jian shook her head defiantly, "We're all cold. And there's a blanket over there." She pointed at a dastardly looking, ragged, old blanket tucked away in the corner.

Shaola glared and put her arm around Zek's, holding herself closer, "You're not the boss of me."

Tom, who had been lying asleep against the rail of the saddle next to Jian, opened his eyes and glared at the two bickering sisters.

"Why don't you both shut up so I can get some rest?" he groaned, "And Shaola, for the record, _I'm _the boss here. And I don't want to see my neph-, er… cousin get castrated."

"So that's what he meant…" Zek thought out loud.

Tom shook his head and laid back down, "Agni, you're dumb."

Rozin rolled his eyes at his younger brother's ignorance. He sat in the back of the giant sky bison saddle with Asmin as he watched the others converse amongst themselves. Asmin, like him, had a certain disdain for human, social interaction which is probably what drew them together. That and the fact that they were the youngest soldiers in Tom's unit.

Asmin was a year younger than him, but a very highly skilled firebender. Though they had many similarities as far as fighting, politics, and even music, they came from very different backgrounds. While he was brought up in nobility and royalty as a Fire Nation prince, she came from a small mining village on Igneous Island, though her family were once part of the Fire Nation Colonies in the Earth Kingdom, they moved back after the War before she was born, deciding not to become Earth Kingdom subjects.

As the Separatist's War broke out, and claimed Igneous Island as separate from the Fire Nation, she forewent her parents' wishes and ran away to join the Fire Nation Army when they liberated her island.

Her inner drive and ambition to protect her nation is what Rozin first noticed and admired about her, and ever since she joined his platoon, they've been friends.

"Man, this is entertaining," Asmin stated, referring to the conversation the others were having.

Rozin snickered, "Glad to see you're entertained."

Asmin looked up at him, "But they are right. It is freezing out here…"

Rozin looked down at her and noticed her slide an inch or so closer to him. He groaned, albeit in mock anguish.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes, toying with her as he put his arm around her and held her a little closer.

"Sorry to put you out," Asmin stated in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "I didn't realize how much work it took just to move your arm…"

"Ha, ha," Rozin sneered sarcastically.

Sarcasm was something he picked up from hanging with Jian before the war, and was only enhanced when he lived and fought along side with Asmin for so long. In a way, it was their favorite past time.

Kya shivered as she began to feel the brisk air penetrate her fur coat. Lucky she brought that, otherwise she would have to buddy up with someone like everyone else was. Although, she thought to herself with a smile, she wouldn't have minded it if Rozin helped keep her warm.

As soon as the young firebender crossed her mind, she shook her head in disbelief. Rozin! The guy she had been fighting with and not-so secretly hated since they've been reunited. Why did she have romantic thoughts about him all the sudden? She frowned. Maybe Jian was right; she did have a crush on him. But his horrible attitude the other night lead her to question him. Sure he had an arrogant attitude when they were younger, but this was different. He was different.

She turned around to hopefully catch a glimpse of him, for he had been quiet all day. As she did, she instantly saw him cuddled up with his "friend" Asmin. Her eyes went wide with horror and shock as the two firebenders exchanged a small, private joke, causing Rozin to smile and laugh. Laugh! When they first met and became friends four years ago, it was damn near impossible to get him to do that. And now he was doing it care free with that Fire Nation harlot.

She snapped back around, not wanting to see anymore of that horrendous sight. How could he be with that bitch? She obviously didn't know Asmin that well, and few would agree that she earned that title, but she didn't care. She met him first!

Wait, was that jealousy she was thinking? She was jealous for Rozin!

She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, thinking to herself. Spirits, she actually _did _like him.

_This is a great start to my vacation, _she thought to herself with much sarcasm.

She uncovered her face and looked below her. Dozens of tiny lamp lights dotted the ice shelf, slightly illuminating the outlines of the icy buildings that made up the capital city of the South Pole. They arrived!

"There it is!" she pointed down at the snow covered city below them.

Everyone moved to the edge to get a look at the city.

Kya flicked the reigns and Appa roared as he began their decent to the city.

As their altitude lowered, the whole crew was able to get a better view of the incredible city that lied below them. The Southern Water Tribesmen have certainly accomplished a lot since the end of Sozin's War with rebuilding the South Pole. This was no longer the tiny village on a block of ice made up of half a dozen igloos. No, this has been rebuilt into a full fledged city similar to their sister tribe's city in the North Pole. After the War, many waterbenders came out of hiding and aided Pakku and his waterbenders from the North in rebuilding this city to it's former glory, and then some. It was truly and elegant, grandiose city of white, built out of the living ice and snow itself. Even in the night, the city reflected off the moonlight like a glassy diamond.

The Young Heroes gasped in awe upon looking at the marvelous city below them.

Lao turned and crawled up to Kya, putting his hand gently on her shoulder and lowering his head in close to her ear. "Nice pick, Kya," he whispered in her ear, sending chills up her spine and causing her to blush. Thank the Spirits for the night, or he would've seen that.

Kya turned forward as they made their final decent into the city. She geared Appa to a rather large, domed building that, much like the rest of the city, was carved out of ice. It stood on a plateau high above the rest of the city. Waterfalls flowed freely off the sides of the plateau and down into the moats below, from some water circulation system Sokka and the Mechanist had conceived years ago. Whatever they did, the Young Heroes were glad he did it for it gave the city that extra touch of beauty and charm.

A small crowd of people collected outside the domed building, which was actually the palace, and watched as Appa landed in the main courtyard.

Kya stretched, stiff and sore for nearly twelve hours of flying, and slid off the top of Appa's head. Appa grunted as his six feet connected with the ice. He, too, was exhausted from a long journey. Kya reached up and scratched him behind the ears, his favorite spot.

"You did good, buddy," she told him.

Appa grunted again, but this time in a happier, more content way. He always loved the attention he got from everyone.

Kya turned and approached the group of people who were walking up to them, as the other's dismounted and unpacked.

A tall man, shrouded in the darkness, stepped forward. "Just who do you think you are to come here unannounced in the middle of the night?" the tall man asked in an aged, stern voice. His tone quickly changed as he took another step forward, into the light. It was none other than Kya's great-grandfather, Pakku.

"Without telling your great-grandfather, first?" he continued, this time with a warm smile on his face.

Kya smiled back, just as big, and dashed forward to give her great-grandfather a hug and former mentor. "It is so good to see you, Master Pakku!"

Pakku returned the hug and they parted, "Please, Kya, we're well past master and pupil. We're family. You may call me just Pakku."

"How about Great-Grand-Pakku!" Jian, his great-granddaughter from Sokka's side stepped up and gave him a quick hug.

Pakku rolled his eyes, "It's obvious where you got your sense of humor from…"

Shaola then ran up and pulled the old man in a squeezing hug. "Hi, Gramp-Gramp," she smiled cheerfully as she recalled her childhood nickname for him.

Pakku smiled warmly as he returned her hug. They parted and he studied the small group before him.

"I see a bunch of kids," he observed, "but where are your parents?"

Kya sighed, "Long story…"

Pakku nodded and turned to go back inside, motioning for the rest of them to follow, "Then we shall talk about it inside. Much to cold out here, even for me. Plus, Kana put some tea on a few minutes ago."

The three cousins ran to catch up with their great-grandfather, leaving the outsiders back at the threshold of the palace, staring blankly at it.

"This place," Rozin said to no one in particular, "is weird."

"You know," Lao turned to him, "I think this is the only time we'll agree with each other."

They all shrugged and followed the others into the icy palace.

**Aang. Meishon Forest. **

Aang shot up in the darkness of the woods, eyes wide open and panting heavily. A nightmare. He put his hand on his forehead as he calmed his breathing and pulse down. This wasn't his first nightmare, but it was his most disturbing. So disturbing, in fact, that he could hardly recall the images and what actually occurred in it. The emotions and feelings, however, were so horrific that they seemed burned into his memory. Feelings of pain, dread, horror, death. Though who was it? It wasn't him, that's for sure.

It hit him just then. It wasn't him that suffered in his dream; it was everyone he knew. He could see it now. Fire consumed and vaporized the two Water Tribes, like the power of the Comet ten fold. On the opposite end he saw Agnia, with all the citizens running for their lives as the ocean literally rose and engulfed all the islands of the Fire Nation before rushing to the city. Then, the city of Ba Sing Se; mighty and powerful. Then a gale forced wind, at the like the world has never seen before, rushed to the mighty walls and blew them to bits before the entire city turned into one, malicious dust bowl. Then, finally, there was his home and birthplace, the Southern Air Temple. At first it was beautiful and serene, as he remembered it, then a massive earthquake erupted. The mountains around the temple cracked and fell into giant piles of rubble. Then a giant fissure in the earth, thousands of miles deep, cracked and snaked its way to the temple. The beautifully crafted towers that stood for over a thousand years splintered and cracked until, finally, the mountain itself collapsed as the others did and fell in ruins into the fissure, gone for all eternity.

He then remembered his friends and family. Zuko, and his family, lay at the bottom of the sea amidst the ruins of Agnia, drowned and waterlogged. He saw Toph, Jet, Sokka and Suki's family, and Haru and his family, blown away with their homes like leaves on a windy, autumn day. He saw Teo, and the others of the Air Nation, cry for help as the Temples were swallowed up by the earth. And finally, to his most horrific fear, he saw his own family in the South Pole. The city was ablaze with a fire that could not be put out. His family was only a few of many people crying out in anguish. Suddenly it was they themselves who, like giant, human matches, combusted into flames. They cried out for his name in inexplicable pain, but he could do nothing but watch as they incinerated into ashes and blew away.

But the nightmare was not over. The last thing he remembered was standing in an open, desolate, apocalyptic land, looking out at the dark sky. An earthquake trembled and knocked him down to his hands and knees. Aang remembered looking up. Out of the open fissure in the earth, he saw a large, shadowy figure rise. There were no facial expressions, but he could tell the shadow was foreboding and dangerous. The Shadow's hands reached out and clenched into fists. There was another earthquake, but also a large gust of wind. The earth and air swirled around the Shadow as it wielded them. Aang heard a sound of rushing water and turned his head to the left from where the sound was coming from. He saw a large wave cross the barren hills and mountains, careening at him. Aang ducked, but at the last second, the waves were averted and became in control of the Shadow. The Shadow then stretched his hand towards the heavens, the sun in particular, and a ribbon of fire streamed from the sun itself and was now in control of the Shadow. Aang watched in awe at the Shadow's impressive display of elemental control. Awe soon turned to horror as the Shadow looked directly at Aang with its opaque, black as death eyes.

"The time is nigh," Aang remembered the Shadow tell him in a disembodied voice.

Before Aang could respond, the elements began swirling violently around the Shadow. The Shadow roared and the elements fused together as a destructive cyclone that spread out in a fraction of a second, quickly engulfing Aang, and the world, in its destructive force before he could even have a chance to react.

And then… he woke.

Aang looked up in the sky and saw the purple hue of dawn approaching. He nodded and rose from the pile of leaves that made his makeshift bed. Time to work.

**Kya, Jian, Shaola, Asmin, Lin. Girls' Quarters. **

"Jian, give it back!" Shaola shouted at her obnoxious older sister.

Jian, who stood a good six inches taller than her sister, teasingly held a piece of papyrus high up in the air, smiling as Shaola jumped up to snatch it.

"No," Jian smiled mischievously, "I think I should read it out loud. What do you think, girls?"

Kya, Asmin, and Lin sat on their respective beds as they watched the amusing sight of sisterly love be displayed before them.

Lin shrugged, not caring one way or the other. Though she was technically deaf, she did have the power to "hear" the vibrations of sound through her earthbending, though being in a building made of ice kind of dulled it.

"Do it," Asmin smirked and propped herself up in her bed.

Kya shot a brief glare at her roommate. She pretty much hated the poor girl simply because she was with Rozin. "I don't care," she said flatly.

Jian shrugged, "Sounds like three 'yes's' to me."

"No!" Shaola shouted, horrified, "Give it back!"

"I don't think so," Jian smirked.

"You had no right to go through my stuff!"

"Well, seeing as how Dad told me to look after you, I kind of took the extra initiative," Jian pathetically defended herself.

"Just read it out loud!" Asmin shouted in Jian's favor.

"Why don't you just shut up?!" Kya glared at her newest adversary, garnering everyone else's attention.

Asmin raised her eyebrow, quizzically, as she was taken aback by Kya's outburst. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing," Kya grumbled and stormed out of the room.

Jian frowned as she watched her cousin leave. She turned to her sister and handed her the piece of paper. "This just got boring."

Shaola quickly nabbed the paper and clenched it tight in her fist before Jian could change her mind.

Jian turned and exited the room, following her cousin.

**Rozin. Boys' Quarters. **

Rozin was alone in his room as he unpacked his rucksack. They were only going to be there for a couple days so he only took out a few shirts and trousers. He grimaced at the sight of the various shades of red, Fire Nation linen and silk clothes that laid on his bed before him. Obviously made for Fire Nation weather, he would surely freeze tomorrow if he wore this stuff out there. He'll have to buy a fur coat if he wanted to survive the next couple of days in the frigid Water Tribe.

"Hey there, cousin," Tom greeted as he walked into the room.

Rozin frowned, "I'm not your cousin…"

Tom rolled his eyes as he plopped down on his bed, "Yeah, but I'm not exactly a picturesque uncle either."

"Would've much rather had Uncle Iroh," Rozin grimly stated, painfully remembering his fallen great-uncle.

"But, that don't mean I can't give advice when it's needed," Tom said, "And, by the looks of you, you need it."

Rozin turned and stared at his uncle quizzically, "What are you talking about?"

Tom rolled his eyes, "Save it, Rozin, I know what's bugging you. You got a thing for that Water Tribe girl. What's her name…? Kia? Kyla?"

"Kya," Rozin replied, softly.

"Kya!" Tom snapped his fingers in affirmation.

"Your point?" Rozin asked, indifferently.

"My point is you like her," Tom stated the obvious, "And she likes you."

Rozin's eyes brightened up, "She does?!"

Tom nodded, "Yep, and I'm here to offer you some advice."

Rozin rolled his eyes, "I don't need advice from you."

"Yeah, and who's going to give you advice that you desperately need?" Tom asked with a smirk.

**Zek. Library. **

Zek leaned back in his chair as he stared up at the iced ceiling above him. With a flick of the wrist he threw a dart up into it. The dart was one of several stuck up in the ice, forming a smiley face made out of about ten darts. He was clearly and obviously bored.

"Hey, Zek," Rozin strolled in, "I need to ask you something."

Zek barely acknowledged his brother, "I swear I didn't take anything from you."

Rozin rolled his eyes as he sat in the chair next to his brother. He saw Zek staring up at the ceiling, so he turned to see what was so interesting. He shook his head at the sight of the dart smiley face.

"Tell me, how bored are you on a scale of one to ten?" Rozin asked.

"Twenty two," Zek replied and threw another dart into the ceiling.

Zek turned and faced his brother, "So what is it? That was my last dart and I need something to entertain myself."

"I need some advice about Kya," Rozin said, whispering the name of the girl that has his heart.

Zek rolled his eyes, "Go talk to Tom. He's been looking for you anyways."

Rozin shook his head, "No. Would you take advice from him?"

"Seeing as he's lucky with the ladies, I would," Zek replied as something interesting caught his eye and he stared off at it.

"He gets with a different girl in every new place he's in," Rozin replied, "Besides you got Shaola…"

"Shaola got me," Zek corrected, still looking in a different direction.

"And you're proud to admit that?" Rozin asked with a raised eyebrow.

Zek shrugged, "May be emasculating, but at least I got a girl. What do you got?"

"Good point," Rozin sighed, "So how did you do it?"

Zek shrugged his trademark shrug, "I don't know. I just did. What works for me won't exactly work for you."

"Pray tell."

"Ok, different guys have different ways of getting the girl, ok," Zek stated, turning slightly in his brother's direction, "Take me, for example. I have the whole mysterious, aloof, uncaring vibe going for me. Tom, as much as we hate him, has the charming, cocky thing. Same as Lao, except he's got a sleaze ball under layer going for him…" "So where does that leave me?" Rozin asked.

Zek shrugged, "That's for you to decide. Personally, you got the whole war hero thing going for you. I'd say go with it."

"I doubt that will work with Kya," Rozin said quietly.

"Oh, Kya," Zek realized, "Ok, now I got ya. Ok, listen. She already likes you. Right now she's just being a typical girl who doesn't know what they want. Trust me, bro, all girls are like that. My advice is just hang around her and get to know her better. Be interested and, trust me, she'll want you."

Rozin thought for a second, "Hmm… that might actually work. Thanks."

He stood up to walk out.

Zek shrugged, "Whatever. And Rozin, if you really want Kya, I'd make your move now, because you're in for some serious competition."

Rozin nodded and turned back to exit the library.

Zek looked back up at the smiley face, "Huh, wonder how I'm going to get those down…?"

**Kya and Jian. Hallways. **

Kya stormed down the icy, blue hued hallways in dire attempt to get as far away from that room as possible.

"Kya!" Jian shouted from behind her as she ran to catch up, "Wait!"

Kya didn't even bother turning around for her cousin cut her off and blocked her from moving forward.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jian asked, "Why'd you flip out back there?"

"No reason," Kya pushed past her.

"Does it have to do with Rozin?" Jian asked.

Kya stopped dead in her tracks. She sighed and looked down at her feet.

Jian smiled, "Thought so."

"I don't even like him anymore," Kya said, mostly trying to convince herself.

Jian raised her eyebrow and approached her side, "Really? I thought you did?"

"I do, and I don't," Kya stated, "I mean, I did like him. Four years ago. But he's changed. He's so… distant now. I can't explain it. And I thought he liked me, but apparently he's with… her."

This was news to Jian, "He is? Since when?"

"You saw them on the way here," Kya said, "They were all holding each other and sitting close together. If that doesn't say they're together, then I don't know what does."

"Have you tried talking to him?" Jian suggested.

Kya shook her head, "Not since the other night when he yelled at me. And I don't want to get yelled at again."

"Just try it," Jian offered, "It can't hurt. And if does become a jerk, then leave him. That simple."

"Well, how do I get him alone without her in the way?" Kya asked.

Jian smirked, "Leave that to your dear old cousin."

Kya smirked and gave her a warm hug. Even though they were cousins, Kya often considered Jian her surrogate older sister due to her lack of having one. And Jian was happy to lend a helping, albeit sometimes sarcastic, hand when needed.

**Shaola, Asmin, Lin. Girls' Room. **

"What was that about?" Asmin pondered out loud.

Shaola stashed away her note in a her pocket, praying that Jian wouldn't find it again. "Probably because you're with Rozin."

Lin nodded in agreement.

Asmin blushed and hid away her face, "I'm…, I'm not with Rozin."

Shaola looked at her quizzically, "You're not? Could've fooled me. Especially the way you two are always together."

"Well, we're good friends," Asmin stated, "Ever since we've been in the army together."

Shaola caught hint of her blushing, "Are you…, blushing?!"

This only made her blush more and she turned her head away slightly, but to no avail.

Shaola's face lit up, "You are!"

Lin moved closer and observed the Fire Nation girl's face. She pulled back and nodded in affirmation.

"Spirits, you _do _like him!" Shaola stated.

"Well, yeah. A little, I guess," Asmin affirmed bashfully.

"That is so cool," Shaola stated, giddily as she sat next to Asmin on her bed, "Though, Kya's definitely going to hate you."

"Why?" Asmin asked, "Isn't she with Lao? I always see him sitting next to her and stuff."

Lin shook her head.

"She should be…" Shaola stated under her breath, "But that doesn't mean Rozin isn't a good guy or anything. He's very cute, and you'd make a good couple."

Asmin smiled, "You think so?"

Shaola smiled, "I know so."

"You know," Asmin offered her hand out for a hand shake, "you're alright."

Shaola rolled her eyes and gave her a hug, "We're going to be around each other for a long time. We can hug."

Lin shook her head and returned to her reading.

"So what was in that note, anyway?" Asmin asked as they parted.

Lin looked up, interested now.

Shaola shook her head and pulled out the note to read it, "Dear Shaola. I love you and… yeah. Love, Zek."

She rolled her eyes and stuffed it back in her pocket.

"That's it?!" Asmin asked incredulously.

"Zek's not exactly a man of man words," Shaola said, rather disappointed.

**Long Feng and other Separatists and Face Stealers. Meishon Forest.**

Long Feng paced up and down in front of a line of five Face Stealers in the depths of the cave they were hiding in. Along with him, a small group of three Separatist officers stood with him and overlooked it all.

"You now are under my control," the former Governor of Omashu declared, "You will obey my every command and carry out any orders I give you."

"We are never going to obey you," the leader of that group of Face Stealers, named Xun, declared, "We follow only Koh."

"You were under Azula's command before now," Long Feng stopped pacing and glared at the white-faced man.

"We merely obeyed the orders she channeled from Koh, himself," Xun stated, "They were never hers."

Long Feng scoffed, "If you believe such nonsense."

"We do," Xun glared, "strongly."

"With Azula dead, you have no choice but to obey me, then," Long Feng stated, "With our combined efforts we could take back what's ours from the Avatar and his minions."

"And how do you know she's dead?" Xun asked.

"Please, no one had heard from her in almost three days. Not since she decided to fight the Avatar. We all know how that played out…" Long Feng stated.

"Either way, we still follow Koh," Xun reaffirmed.

"Very well, then," Long Feng frowned, "Follow that imaginary religion. Since you're dead weight anyway, you should have no problem if I decide to execute and send you to meet Koh, personally."

Xun pulled out his sword, followed by the others behind him, "You can try. It won't matter. Nothing you decide to do would. While you, and the rest of your kind, spend your time on a meaningless war, the Face Stealer himself will be planning his ultimate attack on the mortal world."

Long Feng scoffed, "Is that all he does? Plan?"

The Face Stealers readied with their weapons, with the exception of one who was an earthbender and armed himself with a boulder ready to throw.

Long Feng snapped his fingers and ten more Separatist soldiers instantly ran down the steps of the cave to stand behind him.

"I think you're out numbered," Long Feng sneered.

There was a silent standoff between the two separate groups as Aang stood high above in a small alcove of the rock and observed it all. He could sit by and let them kill each other, but that wasn't his mission. No, his fight was with the Separatist leaders and the Face Stealers, not the soldiers. Only the leaders and the group that posed the deadliest threat to the world. He had to intervene before unnecessary bloodshed ensued.

Aang stood and took a deep breath before jumping down and landing between Long Feng, and the Separatists, and the Face Stealers. As his feet connected with the ground, he sent a ripple of the shale rock at the Separatist's side.

Long Feng, though surprised by the Avatar's intervention, managed to react quickly and deflect the blow of earth.

"Avatar Aang," Long Feng dusted himself off, "it's been a while."

Aang glared at the balding earthbender, but remained alert at the Face Stealers behind him. "Tell your men to leave, or they will suffer the same fate as you," Aang ordered.

Long Feng simply smirked and cocked his head to his soldiers, "Stay where you are. That's an order!"

The soldiers stood with unease and were easily tentative of the whole situation.

Aang looked past Long Feng and over to the shaky troops. He took a deep breath and momentarily displayed a hint of the Avatar State. His eyes and tattoos glowed white for a brief second and then returned back to normal.

The soldiers looked at each other, trembling with fear. They knew full well what the Avatar State was, and of it's destructive powers. With an unspoken agreement they turned and ran out the caves. It was clear they feared the Avatar more than they feared their leader.

Long Feng looked at them incredulously and shouted, "Cowards! Get back here or I will have you all executed!"

The exit quickly disappeared and was blocked by a wall of rock, trapping them in. Long Feng turned and glared at Aang bitterly.

"Looks like your men have the right idea," Aang stated.

Long Feng looked past Aang and over to the Face Stealers, who stood motionless behind him, and smirked.

"You're still out numbered," he glared and shouted a command to the Face Stealers, "Face Stealers, attack the Avatar!"

Aang turned around, ready to face the members of the Order of Koh. The Face Stealers, however, did not respond to Long Feng's order, causing him to frown.

"Did you not hear me?!" Long Feng shouted, "I gave you an order!"

"We heard you," Xun stated.

"Is this because you refuse to obey my orders?!" Long Feng questioned as beads of sweat dripped down his face, realizing just how alone he was at this point. "The Avatar is your sworn enemy. He's Koh's sworn enemy!"

"He is," Xun replied, looking up, "but _our _orders are clear."

Long Feng, flabbergasted, quickly stepped forward and swung out his arms in five repetitious circles. With each circle, a rock pillar jutted out of the ground and smashed into the Face Stealers, crushing their chest cavities and pinning them against the wall. Aang watched as each Face Stealer was impaled one by one. It was eerie, though. Even though they were dying in a very grotesque and painful way, not one uttered a sound, not even a gasp.

Aang stared at the one called Xun as he lifted his head up and looked straight back at him. With his last dying move, he flashed a toothy grin at Aang before going limp with death.

"Then you are useless to me," Long Feng growled at the dead Face Stealers.

Aang turned around and faced his lone opponent.

Long Feng reverted back into a fighting stance, "I can handle you myself."

"Your choice," Aang replied. With that, he quickly sent a burst of air at him, initiating the fight.

Long Feng reacted quickly and summoned a rock wall between the air blast and him, allowing the air to pass harmlessly by. He quickly countered by sending the rock wall itself at Aang. There was a loud crash and he looked up. Where the Avatar once stood, there was nothing but dust.

Long Feng smirked, "All too easy."

His assumed victory was suddenly disrupted by a stream of fire shot down at him from his left. He barely had time to react and the force of the flames pushed him back several feet. He looked up to see Aang hanging on the sides of the rock walls.

Aang quickly jumped and followed through with the attack with another stream of flames. Long Feng, however, was quick and managed to deflect the second attack.

Aang, realizing distance was a disadvantage, leaped from his current position, narrowly avoiding a boulder sent by his enemy, and flew at him at full speed.

Long Feng repeated the same method of defense as before and shielded himself from the hurtling airbender.

Aang smirked, for he had anticipated this, as he rushed to the earth shield before him. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he collided with the shield, smashing it to rubble and sending Long Feng spiraling back several feet.

Long Feng grunted in pain as he rolled over the hard rock that formed the cave's floor. He rolled several times until he crashed hard into the wall.

Aang wasted no time in continuing his attack, and sent a large burst of flames at his earthbending foe.

Long Feng quickly rolled out of the way in time to avoid the scorching hot fire.

Aang countered with several more fireballs, each one being dodged by Long Feng and exploding into the wall behind him. Aang fired one last shot, managing to catch Long Feng in mid roll, knocking him away several feet.

Long Feng landed in a burnt heap at the foot of the Face Stealers' bodies which he recently killed. He looked up frantically. This was it. It was ending quickly for him. He looked up at the dangling body of Xun and saw his last chance for survival.

Aang leapt and landed a mere ten feet in front of his foe, ready to deal the final blow, if need be. "It's over, Long Feng. Surrender or I will make you!"

Long Feng smirked as he held something behind his back, "Not a chance."

And with that, he revealed what he was hiding behind his back; a Gray Smoke grenade stolen from Xun. He quickly pulled the pin and chucked the canister at Aang's feet. Aang couldn't react fast enough for the smoke poured out instantaneously. A little at first, then the whole thing practically exploded around him. He tried to cover his face, but to no avail. The Smoke came at him too fast and he inadvertently wound up with a breath full of it. He coughed and chocked as the Smoke entered his lungs. He could already feel the effects of it as his legs began to weaken and his head feel light. Soon a familiar feeling of nausea came over him and he dropped to his knees.

Long Feng, however, managed to cover his face with a handkerchief to keep the Gray Smoke from entering his lungs. He looked out at the cavern, now filled with the Smoke, and couldn't find Aang. He couldn't wait. He had to get out of there before he too was knocked out. Holding his arm out, he ran through the haze and to the exit Aang had blocked prior. He quickly earthbended a hole in the wall and slipped out, closing it back up behind him. With no soldiers at his command, and no way to fight with the Gray Smoke in the air, he had no choice but to flee. There was only one place he could go; Ba Sing Se.

Aang watched as Long Feng escaped, holding his hand out in a desperate attempt to finish what he had started, but it was futile. He couldn't fight like this. Hell, he couldn't even stand.

And, as much as he tried to fight it, Aang soon lost consciousness and fell face down on the shale floor of the cave.

**Aang's Vision. **

_Aang looked around at his surroundings. Puzzlingly, there were none. In fact he was in some kind of abysmal space devoid of anything, even light. He held out his palm to create some fire to see, but nothing came. _

"_Huh," Aang said to himself, "Why am I in the Spirit World?"_

"_Because," a familiarly warm voice said behind him, "I called you here."_

_Aang turned around, "Roku?"_

_It was indeed Roku, only it was just his white, bearded face. No body at all. _

"_Where is the rest of your body?"_

_Roku shook his head, "There's no time for questions, Aang. Time is short. Troubling times are ahead of us and I fear the worst is to come."_

"_What are you talking about?" Aang raised an eyebrow. _

_Roku looked down mournfully, "The end of the world."_

"_The end of the world?!" Aang repeated, unable to grasp such a concept. _

"_You have been given visions," Roku stated, "Warnings of a possible doom. The great Spirits and Gods have been reaching you through prophetic dreams to better prepare you for what's about to happen. Now I'm here to instruct you in what you must do next."_

"_But I have to end the war," Aang reasoned defiantly, "I have to restore peace to the world!"_

_Roku shook his head, "The world is long gone. You must act now if you are to save as many souls as possible from the Apocalypse."_

_Aang sighed. First he had to end the war on his own, and now this?! It was far too overwhelming. Even for him. Though he still had a duty to the people. To protect them, and the ones he loved more than life itself. _

"_I'm listening," Aang stated, raising his head up. _

"_In order to preserve the world and save the ones you love," Roku started, "You must seek out Koh the Face Stealer once more."_

_Aang's eyes widened, "Koh?! But he's the whole reason we're fighting a war in the first place!"_

"_If you want to save the world you must do so," Roku said, sternly, "I have searched all other alternatives. This is the only way."_

_Aang sighed again. He had already had to face Koh twice before, and each time he nearly had his face stolen from the Death Spirit. Not to mention two of his past lives had incredibly disastrous experiences with him; one losing his one true love to the Face Stealer, and the other becoming Koh's earthly pawn and wreaking havoc on the whole world. But if there was no other option…_

"_Fine," Aang stood strong, "I'll do it. For the sake of the world."_

_Roku nodded, pleased, "Good, now rise. You have much to do."_

_Roku's mouth opened and a beam of light shot from it, hitting Aang in the chest. Aang screamed as he flew out through the abysmal space of the Spirit World. _

_Roku closed his mouth and the light disappeared after Aang was out of sight. He then smiled a crooked, devilish smirk. Suddenly his face blinked as if a giant eyelid covered it. The eyelid lifted and revealed the same smirking face of… Koh the Face Stealer. _

**A/N: Don't you just love my cliffhangers? Barely beat my one week deadline so here's yet another long chapter to add to the list. I've got a feeling that this is going to be a recurring trend for this story, but hopefully you all don't mind. I'm sure you won't. **

**Thoughts? Likes? Concerns? Feel free to share your imput. Really looking forward to it. **

**Special shout outs to all my reviewers, new and old. You guys' reactions are what makes this memorable. Keep it up! And Tim, your email didn't go through on the reviews. Why not set up a FF account and we can talk there?  
**

**Peace. **

**Oh, and a special shout out to my LA Dodgers (in the NLDS) and La Kings (kickin ass and takin names). Go LA!!!  
**


	6. The Hidden Archives

**Chapter 6**

**The Hidden Archives**

**Zuko and Mai. Agnia**

A large crowd of the population of the capital of the Fire Nation gathered around the docks as the entire city stopped its business to welcome home the Royal Family back home. The airship had just landed and the crowd became alert, eagerly anticipating their leader's return.

At the edge of the docks, a small entourage of Imperial Firebenders, governors, servants, and the Vizier and Chief Overseer herself, On Ji, waited to welcome the Fire Lord and Lady back to the homeland.

The ramp to the airship dropped down and a few seconds later Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Mai descended down to the bleached white limestone dock, followed by General Sako, Shinu, and other generals that lead the war effort in the Earth Kingdom.

The crowd of people erupted in cheers and applause upon seeing the safe return of their Fire Lord.

Zuko glanced at the deafening crowd before him as he walked down the ramp. It reminded him of his return from banishment nearly eighteen years ago. He returned home, then, a hero as well but under completely different circumstances. That was different. He was different now.

He abruptly stopped just before the edge, allowing the citizens of the Fire Nation to see him clearly above the others. He smiled and extended his hand out to the crowd, ushering even louder applause from the crowd. He held it out for only a few seconds before retracting it and continuing down.

Vizier On Ji was the first to approach Zuko and Mai. She bowed out of respect for her Fire Lord. Zuko smiled as he gestured for her to rise. She had been one of the few politicians who remained loyal to him, even in the years before the war. It was for that reason he appointed her to the honorable position of Vizier so she could look after the country and its affairs while he was off fighting the war. Apart from his close friends and family, she was the only one he could honestly trust with his life and throne.

"A hero's welcome if I've ever seen one," On Ji smiled, "Welcome home, Fire Lord Zuko."

Zuko nodded, "Good to be home."

Mai approached Zuko's side and took hold of his arm. On Ji smiled and bowed to the Fire Lady.

"And welcome home, Fire Lady Mai," she greeted as she rose back up.

Mai nodded and yawned sleepily. She turned to Zuko with a fatigued look, "Mind if we head to the palace now?"

Zuko nodded and kissed her on the forehead, causing Mai to blush.

"Zuko, not here," she turned her head away bashfully, clearly disliking public displays of affection. In fact, even with them being royalty, it wasn't exactly considered appropriate for them to show any public displays of affection outside of the standard chivalry.

Zuko frowned slightly. He never did like those set of customs put on them by their society. Normally he would've playfully fought it and kissed her again, but he too was tired from their journey and in desperate need of some rest.

He turned to On Ji, "I think we'll catch up on some rest first."

On Ji nodded and turned to the servants to bring over the palanquins for the royal couple. "You know," On Ji turned back to Zuko, "you have a lot to catch up on. It's been almost four years since you've left."

Zuko nodded as he lead Mai to the closest palanquin, "I know. And I've been dreading it the whole way here."

He helped her up and then turned to his own. "See you at the palace," he said to On Ji as he climbed into his own.

On Ji smiled as the servants carrying the palanquins started off into the city, leading the Royal Procession of the triumphant Fire Lord.

**Aang. Si Wong Desert. **

Aang soared across the sky on his glider as the bright, orange morning sun rose in the far off distance in front of him. The morning light cast an orange, reddish hue on the sand dunes below him creating that "magic hour" for the Si Wong Desert.

But Aang had no time to stop and think about the beauty of his surroundings. No, he was a man on a mission. Instead of seeing hope in the distance over the horizon, he only saw impending doom. Roku had told him that the world was coming to an end and that it was up to him to save it. He also told him to seek out Koh to save the world, but that wasn't something to be taken lightly. Koh was dangerous, and Aang was fully aware of his capabilities as a Spirit, as well as his past reputation of destruction.

Still, he couldn't accept that Koh was his only option. There had to be another way for him to save the world without resorting to advice from him. Which was one of the reasons he was in the desert. Years ago, he, Katara, Sokka, and Toph stumbled upon a giant library that contained a detailed account of everything known in the world. In those vast archives, Aang thought, there would have to be some sort of records of something regarding the end of the world.

He dropped down from the sky and landed on a sand dune, sending a small, black scorpion scurrying away from the Avatar's crushing feet. Aang looked before him and saw what appeared to be a large crater in the sand; the remains of the legendary library of Wan Shi Tong. He looked around, gloomily at the sandy wasteland around him. It's been nearly eighteen years since he's been at this spot. He looked down at his feet as a small pebble rolled down the sand dune and into the crater. Eighteen years since this place burned unto him one of the worst memories of his life; Appa, one of his closest companions, was stolen by Sandbenders. He remembered how furious and enraged he was towards the men that stole him, and how emotionless and removed he felt soon after leaving the desert. Hope was gone and all there was, was vengeance and hatred. A part of him still harbored disdain for the Sanbending people, even though some have proved to be instrumental in the past few years. That pain, he felt, will never disappear.

Shaking his head back to consciousness, he peered down into the crater in the sand. Time had taken its toll on, what he remembered as, a perfectly clean, fresh hole in the earth. Now the constant sand and wind had eroded most of the crater and made it nearly impossible to see. He was lucky the light hit it just at the right place from the sky, otherwise he would be circling the desert for days.

He took a deep breath, remembering how vengeful the great owl spirit, Wan Shi Tong, was to their presence the last time he set foot here. In fact, he and his friends were the sole reason the library was buried beneath the sands. Still, he knew the risks of going in, and he knows the risks of turning away. Going back would only decrease the chance of him saving the world, and that was something he couldn't turn his back on, even in the face of certain danger. There was no other choice.

With a sudden burst of air below his feet, he jumped down into the crater. The ground was well compacted compared to the sand dune he was just standing on, and he could use Toph's technique much better than he could on the dunes. He closed his eyes and stamped his foot down, sending a small tremor down into the depths of the earth below him.

He waited a second for the reverberations to return, and return they did. The tremors painted a mental picture of the library below him, still intact and entombed in the sands for all eternity. Aang opened his eyes and nodded in affirmation.

He spread his arms apart and punched a hole into the sand with his earthbending, starting a tunnel down into the great library.

**Rozin. Southern Water Tribe Palace. **

Rozin shivered and huddled his arms over his chest as he walked down the dark, icy halls of the palace early in the morning. He mentally cursed this dwelling made of ice. He cursed the fact he only brought Fire Nation tailored clothing, simply meaning the only clothes he had were made of light silk and flax linen; not exactly insulating out here. In fact, that was the reason he was up so early. He wanted to make his way into town and buy some decent clothing before heading out on a planned hike through the Antarctic Glaciers with the others.

He scoffed at the thought. Even though he hated going on vacations and knew little of the term "rest and relaxation", he at least knew enough in that vacations don't take place in snowy wastelands of the South Pole. This had to be Kya's doing. The girl seemed to live to make his life miserable. At least, ever since they reunited after four long years.

As Rozin was lost in his thoughts he overlooked the small puddle on the ground of where a servant had early spilt some hot water on the icy floor, melting it incidentally. So, as he stepped into the hazardous mixture of ice and water, he slipped and fell to the hard floor, hitting his head and causing him to yell loud enough to wake up the entire palace.

He grunted as he rose and rubbed the back of his head, "What idiot decided to build an entire palace out of ice!"

"Um, the _Water _Tribe," a soft, feminine voice dripping with sarcasm that only belonged to Kya responded as she approached him from behind.

Rozin turned and his eyes widened briefly in surprise.

"Could you be any louder?" Kya asked rhetorically as she held out a hand to help him up.

Rozin, although proud and rarely accepting of help from others, took her hand as she helped him up off the freezing floor.

"Just like old times, eh?" Rozin reminded her.

Kya thought back to the two times they met each other sneaking out of their rooms; once in the Fire Nation Palace where they kind of made amends and became friends, the other in Ba Sing Se's Royal Palace just before Azula attacked. They had a knack for sneaking around palaces in the wee hours of the morning, it seemed.

"Only this time I caught _you _sneaking around," Kya clarified, "Not the other way around like before. She briefly eyed the large puddle of water on the ground, "How could you not see that?"

"It was dark," Rozin mumbled.

"You could've firebended," Kya stated.

"You remember what Master Pakku said," Rozin reminded her, "No firebending. He was very specific about it."

Kya shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said, clearly too tired to argue, "What are you doing up this early anyway?"

"Needed to find a tailor in town," Rozin shrugged, indicating his Fire Nation tunic and slacks, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly dressed for this environment."

Kya covered her mouth in a slight chuckle at the poor guy's choice in clothing for the tundra. "Yeah, you'll probably freeze to death if you go out looking like that."

Rozin rolled his eyes, "You think?"

"Well, I can help," Kya offered, "I used to live here and I know some good tailors in town who make some of the best walrus-seal fur coats. One of those should definitely help."

"Thanks, I guess," Rozin scratched the back of his neck confusedly.

Kya turned to go back in her room, "I'll be back in a minute with something for us to wear."

"Us?" Rozin asked, but she already disappeared into her room.

**Zuko and On Ji. Zuko's Study. **

Zuko eyed the pile of paperwork that seemed to flood and overrun his desk with complete shock and horror.

"I'm never going to get this done," he mumbled, then turned to his Vizier, "How the hell did all this happen?!"

On Ji rolled her eyes as she picked up some loose papers off the floor and set on top of the ever growing pile of paperwork. "You may have disappeared for four years, but your work sure hasn't. Welcome back, Fire Lord."

Zuko glared, "Wasn't this your job to do while I was gone?"

On Ji held up her hands defensively, "Hey I can't make policy, I just see it through. That's _your _job."

Zuko sat in his lavishly red and gold leather chair and rested his face in the palms of his hands. "You are so fired," he mumbled sarcastically.

On Ji rolled her eyes and handed him his first document, "Don't get so bent out of shape. I had the scribes edit over them and simplify the documents as best they can. All they require is your stamp of approval, or be trashed."

Zuko looked up and took the parchment from her, glancing over it, "Something tells me a lot of this will be trashed."

"You better at leas read them before burning them," On Ji stated, "A lot of these are from governors and nomarchs after the war requesting reparation and restoration to the damages the war had on their lands."

Zuko's eyes widened at the sight of a rather large number attached to the symbol of their currency, "Agni, war isn't cheep, is it?"

On Ji shook her head, "Apparently not."

"Price to pay for a civil war, I guess," Zuko muttered.

On Ji set on last piece of paper on his desk before turning to leave. Zuko looked up as she began walking away.

"You're leaving?" he asked.

She stopped, "Not unless you have something else you need me to do."

"Not really, but…" Zuko answered.

"Well good, because my husband and I have brunch reservations up in Men-Nefer," she stated, referring to the famously beautiful beach resort town in the northern part of the Fire Nation.

"Husband?!" Zuko asked surprised, "When did that happen?"

On Ji shrugged, "About a year ago. His name's Arevo. Works under the Overseer of Commerce."

Zuko smiled and nodded, "Well congratulations. I'm sorry I missed it."

On Ji shook her head, "It's no big deal. Oh, speaking of the Overseers, you have a meeting with them after lunch. It's very important."

Zuko groaned. Other than the massive amounts of paperwork, meeting with the Overseers was the last thing he wanted to do. "Fine," he grumbled like a young child.

On Ji rolled her eyes as she bowed out of respect for the Fire Lord, "I'll see you tomorrow, my lord."

Zuko stood and bowed back. As well as they knew each other, custom still had to be practiced in terms of official business such as this. "Enjoy your day off, Vizier On Ji. You deserve it."

"Thank you, my lord," she said before finally turning and taking her leave.

Zuko sighed once she was gone and sat back down. He stared at the mountain of paperwork in front of him for a few seconds, hoping it would just disappear. Of course it didn't so he sat up, grabbed a reed, and dipped it in ink before starting the arduous process of doing paperwork.

**Rozin and Kya. South Pole. **

"I can't believe you made me wear this thing," Rozin muttered as he shivered, walking down the road with Kya.

Prior to leaving Kya brought him a spare coat she packed away with her. A spare coat that was made an tailored for her, and she was a much smaller build than he.

Kya couldn't help but snicker at how ridiculous he looked, constricted by an extremely small walrus-seal fur coat. The thing only covered half his abdomen and the sleeves were only half way down his forearms. His chest was so broad for the coat that it couldn't even cover it enough to be buttoned. Good thing for him that it was still fairly early out and there weren't many people at the market, but when someone did cross paths with them, the Water Tribesmen had to desperately hold back their laughter until out of earshot, while Rozin was forced to restrain himself from frying them to a crisp.

"Would you rather freeze?" Kya offered as a young couple their age passed by trying to hide their smiles.

Rozin shot a glare at them then mumbled, "At the moment, yes."

Kya rolled her eyes, "We're almost there. Quit complaining."

"I'm not complaining," he shot her a look, "And how would you feel if it were the opposite?"

"Well, first of all, I would've packed a coat knowing I would be in the South Pole," Kya retorted, earning her an eye roll from Rozin. "And, secondly, if I wore a coat in your size, it would be dragging on the ground, but I'd still be warm."

Rozin sighed, realizing he wasn't going to win an argument with her. She's gotten craftier in their years apart.

They came up to an icy building not too different from the rest of the city, except the sign hanging over the door indicated it belonged to the tailor Kya was telling him about. From the looks of it, it looked closed.

"Oh no," Kya muttered as she reached up to the wooden door to open it, but to no avail. "Crud, it's locked."

Rozin looked at a sign posted near the door, then at a nearby sundial. "Looks like he won't be open for another hour or so."

Kya sighed and sat on the stoop. "Well, we could go look around the rest of the market."

"I am not walking anymore around town looking like this," Rozin protested.

"Well what do you want to do then?" Kya raised her voice, "It's a half an hour back to the palace and I'm not making two trips out here."

Rozin looked around at the empty streets that surrounded them. At least there was no people in this part of the city. The only sound was the hollowed wind that blew past them, sending a chill up his spin every time it passed. He sighed, frozen to the bone and tired of pointless arguing, and sat next to Kya on the stoop, but made it a point to keep a few feet of space away from her.

Kya noticed this and rolled her eyes as he shivered and breathed some fire into his cupped hands to warm him up.

"This is ridiculous," she rolled her eyes and closed the gap between them. "You're freezing out here."

Rozin was caught off guard by her sudden movement and nearly jumped in the air as he felt her body press up against his side. He no longer felt frigid, in fact the opposite had occurred and he was practically sweating in his skin tight coat.

"Uh…, Kya?" Rozin shakily asked, turning his face away as he could feel a stinging hot blush appear on his pale cheeks, "Do you gotta sit so close?"

Kya rolled her eyes, "I could let you go back to freezing your ass off if you want."

Rozin sighed but turned back to her after feeling the redness in his face revert back to its normal pale complexion.

Kya pulled the gloves off her delicate, tan hands and reached over to grab his pale hands. At first she was surprised at how warm and soft his hands were. Soft, probably due to his lavish, royal upbringing, and warm most likely because of his firebending. Not that she minded the least.

Rozin was a little surprised at first, but quickly went with it, instinctively grabbing hold of her hands for warmth.

"Besides," Kya stated, "it's like we've seen each other much."

"Yeah, unless you count that fight in Omashu," Rozin stated.

"Yeah, about that," Kya stated nervously, "I really wanted to apologize about that. I was out of line."

Rozin, though surprised by her apology, tried to be humble about it, "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was," Kya said, "What happened between us was years ago, and it wasn't even a big deal. I should've known you moved on."

Kya had to hold back some tears. As much as she could hate Rozin sometimes, there was still that small flame in her heart that allowed her to still feel something for him. She was selfish to think he would think about her for all these years, what with the war going on and all.

Rozin's heart sunk as she uttered those words. She really felt like he hadn't thought of her when, in fact, it was quite the contrary. He thought of her all the time. And every time he did, it hurt. With all the beauty of her face and every square inch of her body and soul, there was also so much pain associated with her. And now he was nothing to her. Just an old flame. Someone she could just move on from and go with the next jerk to cross her path.

"What makes you think I moved on?" Rozin asked uneasily.

Kya looked up with hope in her ocean blue eyes, "You haven't?"

Rozin shook his head. "I couldn't. Even if I wanted to."

Kya smiled softly, very relieved as he continued.

"Kya, you were the first person that I ever really cared about," Rozin continued, "Someone I would've willingly laid my life on the line for."

Kya was completely caught off guard by this. And here she thought he forgot about her, but he didn't. This was the Rozin she knew and remembered; slightly serious, but at the same time good natured with a genuine heart of gold. She stared into his golden, amber eyes that opened a window into his soul. They were mesmerizing and entrancing to her. She raised her hand and gently brushed the right side of his face as she tilted her head up and leaned in.

Rozin closed his eyes as her hand touched his face. At first instinct he turned into the palm of her hand, embracing the idea. But logic kicked in and he opened his eyes and turned to the left away from her gentle touch.

Kya, expecting to meet his lips, wound up with only air and the emotional blocks set up by Rozin as he rejected her. She opened her eyes in surprise and backed up to her original position looking confused and disappointed.

"Things are different now," Rozin sighed with his head turned from her.

"What?" she asked confused, "Why? Why do they have to be different?"

Rozin really wanted to tell her. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" she asked, now getting impatient, "What's so horrible that you can't tell me? Is it me?"

Rozin looked at her honestly and shook his head, "No."

Kya bit her lip, tentative for a second. "Someone else?"

Rozin shook his head again.

"Then what?!" Kya raised her voice.

Rozin sighed as he thought about his answer, "I've never told anyone this before. Not even my dad. So bear with me."

Kya nodded, this time patiently, "Ok…"

Rozin nodded and gulped nervously before continuing. He wasn't one to open up to anyone. Kya's always been the exception. "You remember my great-uncle, right?"

Kya nodded, "Iroh."

Rozin nodded in affirmation, "Yes. You remember…, you remember how he… died?"

Kya thought back. As she did, the vivid image of Iroh being shot by Azula's lightning in the Earth King's palace in Ba Sing Se. "Yes," she whispered sadly. He was a good person and was much missed.

"He died trying to save our lives," Rozin continued, then looked and made eye contact with her. "We were the last ones to see him alive."

"What does this have to do with-"

"Every time I see you," Rozin raised his voice trying to get the point across, "every time I hear you, every time I think of you. I picture him, and how I'm the reason he's dead. I'm the reason. I can't help it. And now I can't even get the revenge I deserve."

Kya looked at him softly, sorrowfully. She reached down and took his hand reassuringly. "Iroh's death wasn't your fault, Rozin. It wasn't. It was Azula's. And Iroh would want you to be happy in your life, not angry. Not sad. Happy."

Rozin pondered for a second, processing her words. He turned and pulled his hand away from hers. He just couldn't.

Kya looked away, disappointment eminent on her face. She couldn't take anymore of these mind games. She stood up and started off the stoop. Rozin, as much as she wanted him to, didn't turn to stop her.

"I'm sorry," was all he whispered as she headed back to the palace, leaving him alone in the cold, the way he wanted it.

Once he was sure she was gone he turned and looked in the direction she left, only to see nothing but the snowy, icy streets. He lied, but only partially. While he did blame himself for Iroh's death, Kya was no where near associated with it in his eyes. But he did lie. Not like others who lie to make themselves happier. He lied to make himself even more unhappy. His pessimistic side had shown its true, ugly, cold self. He lied, but he had his reasons. In his mind, this was the right, and only, thing to do.

**Aang. Wan Shi Tong's Library. **

Aang treaded lightly through the dark labyrinth of the buried library. He daren't make himself noticed through sight, sound, or any other noticeable disturbance for fear of the owl spirit, Wan Shi Tong. Their last encounter together had been…, hostile at best. He seemed to care little for the duties of the Avatar, let alone the day to day activities of mortals. Only his books he held in regard.

But those book were what Aang was risking life and limb for at this moment.

He lightly tapped his foot on the cold, sandstone floor of the library and used his earthbending to get a good read of the place. So far he hasn't been detected and would really like to keep it that way.

Aang surprisingly found the library to be relatively intact despite being buried, save for a couple of rooms where the roof caved in from the crushing weight of the sand above.

He frowned as the vibrations reverberated back to him. The floor was covered in debris of all sorts; chunks of stone, fallen books and parchments, and even a few pieces of animals foolish enough to wander in here who probably became a tasty morsel for the wise spirit.

Aang took a few more steps forward, continuing his voyage deeper into the library. His foot then struck something which clanked against the stone floor like a loose bundle of driftwood. Aang froze and mentally cursed himself for being clumsy as the sound echoed through the chambers.

He waited to hear the swooping sound of Wan Shi Tong's giant wings and his chilling voice.

After what felt like an hour, there was still nothing. Aang sent another small tremor to check his surroundings and, to his relief, nothing. He sighed and looked down at his feet to see the peculiar object he blindly ran in to.

He cupped his hands together and formed a small flame, taking extra care to keep it shielded from illuminating the whole library. Or worse, igniting the millennia old books on the shelves next to him.

Luckily the flame only illuminated a small radius around him which kept him out of sight for the most part, but if the great spirit happened to fly by he would be surely seen without even having a chance. As he lowered it, he caught the faint sight of khaki tinted clothing. Though ripped and ragged, it appeared to be younger than just about everything else in the library.

Around the tattered clothing, Aang spied several books and parchments strewn around the general vicinity.

Next to the books and papers, a long, smooth, pale object lied limp on the ground. At first glance it appeared to be as he thought, driftwood. But as he traced it up with the light, he caught the chilling sight of what it really was; a skeleton.

Aang nearly jumped back in shock as the light eerily illuminated the eye sockets of the corpse. He peered closer and noticed a familiar looking khaki hat resting on top of the skull. After a second, it hit him; it was none other than Professor Zei, the archeologist who journeyed with them into the desert in search of the library. He vouched to remain here with his books and love for knowledge. It wasn't any shock that he would die, but Aang never thought he would run into his corpse here.

He studied the rest of the professor's body. Seemed like he died peacefully amongst his books, probably the way he would've wanted it. All the bones were there and it didn't look like Wan Shi Tong made a meal of any part of him. Maybe the Owl Spirit regarded him for his mortal quest for violence.

Aang looked at the chest cavity of the professor and saw his bony arm clutching a half rolled papyrus. Curious, Aang gently reached for it and delicately pulled the arm away from the document. What could be so important that he would hold it close long after death?

Aang successfully removed the papyrus from Zei's grasp, while showing respect for the dead. He unfolded it and read the contents. It was ancient. Probably the oldest thing in the library. He could make out the cuneiform, but only slightly for it was an ancient, long dead style of writing. But it could be read. It was a map of the entire library. His eyes settled on something that might be of interest to him; World Mythology.

He nodded and rolled it up, stuffing it in his robes. The late professor didn't need it anymore. He put the flame out and treaded lightly to the Mythology section in hope for some answers to his questions.

Aang followed the map obtained from the late Professor Zei through the winding catacombs and hallways of the subterranean library. With much focus, and several wrong turns and dead ends, he finally discovered the antechamber of the Mythology Section.

Aang spied a torch jutting out of the wall. He looked around to make sure Wan Shi Tong was nowhere in sight. In fact, the entire section was pretty well concealed from the rest of the library. With that in mind he shot a small stream of fire from his fingertips, igniting the tip of the torch, illuminating the antechamber with its eerie, orange glow.

With the place lit, he began browsing through the hundreds of books, searching for an answer to his question.

**Zuko. Palace Study. **

Zuko groaned and rubbed his brow as he sorted through the mountain of documents and paperwork that laid on his desk. This was going to take forever. He had already spent four hours on this and was only able to get a hundred or so done. He would have to keep doing this all day and night just to get caught up.

He sighed as he stamped the Royal Seal of the Fire Lord, approving a request made by a Nomarch on Fire Fountain Island. He set the paper aside on top of a pile of other approved papers. That pile was much smaller than the ever growing wads of declined documents that littered the floor around him. He put the stamp down and covered his face as he tried to ease his headache the size of Ba Sing Se.

At that point a palace servant appeared in the doorway. "Excuse me, my lord," be bowed, nervously.

Zuko looked up with a fatigued look on his face. Although he was slightly amused with how nervous the servant was, he couldn't help but wonder why all the servants continued to treat him with the same fear they treated his ancestors. While he was a great and powerful Fire Lord, he never resorted to fear tactics, outside of the Separatist movement. And he especially never preyed upon those lesser than him, which was just about everyone in the Fire Nation. No, he was a fair and just leader in contrast to the last three generations of his family.

"Rise," Zuko nodded at the servant, who obeyed.

"My lord," the servant opened, still carrying his head low, "the Overseers are waiting for you outside the throne room."

Zuko turned to his window. The sun was starting to fall from the top of the sky; it was obviously past noon. He totally forgot about the meeting with the Overseers On Ji told him about.

He turned back to the servant and nodded. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Have hot tea waiting in the throne room for the Overseers, and a glass of tonic for myself."

The servant bowed again before exiting, "It shall be done, my lord."

Zuko set his hands on top of the stack of unread paper and pushed himself up. As he did, one document stuck to the sweaty palm of his hand. Rolling his eyes, he tore it off with his other hand. Curiosity getting the better of him, he read the document. He checked the date on it, which revealed it was scribed nearly a year ago. He proceeded to read on.

_Great and powerful Fire Lord Zuko, _

_You may not know me, but I am one of many people affected by Sozin's War. While some of my family lost their lives to the war, there are still some that are alive, yet are still lost. It was hard enough cremating my brother and two cousins due to the war, but my father and mother still live, yet have not returned home. They joined the Wayward Ones two years before the end of the war, banished by your father, Fire Lord Ozai. I kept hoping that once the war was over and you ascended the throne that they will return home. _

_But now sixteen years have passed and still they have not returned. And I know I am not the only one who's still waiting. Attached is a list of five hundred names of people still waiting for their loved ones to return. These people were no more traitors than you or I. And I know that these are difficult times but if you consider this, it would mean the world to me and countless others. _

_Your faithful subject, _

_Nidara of Hot Spring Island. _

Zuko was shocked at the contents of the letter. This was the first one he'd come across that wasn't about reparation or fiscal assistance of any kind. No, this was about honor of the Fire Nation and the people that were banished during Sozin's War; the Wayward Ones.

His mind suddenly returned to the present and the impending meeting with the Overseers. He rolled up the papyrus request and slipped it in his robes before taking off to the throne room.

**Aang. Wan Shi Tong's Library. **

"Monkey feathers!" Aang cursed under his breath.

This was the third time he had walked around the antechamber searching for anything that was related to what he was looking for, yet yielding no results. He was spending way too much time in here for his liking.

"Well, this is certainly an unexpected surprise," an eerie voice stated from behind him.

Aang turned with his staff ready, instantly recognizing the voice. Out of the shadows the giant owl spirit, Wan Shi Tong, emerged staring fiercely at the Avatar.

"I must admit, I admire your courage to return to this place, Avatar Aang," Wan Shi Tong continued.

"I know what you must be thinking," Aang nervously stated, "but I'm not here to find information on a new weapon, or to destroy an enemy."

"Oh?" Wan Shi Tong said with mock interest.

"I'm here because of some disturbing information about the end of the world," Aang stated.

Wan Shi Tong turned his head to the side as he contemplated the Avatar's sudden statement, genuinely interested in what he had to say.

"And how have you come to this conclusion?" Wan Shi Tong returned his piercing gaze to Aang.

"I was told by Avatar Roku in a vision the other night," Aang replied. "Please help me find a way to prevent this, great spirit. I'm positive that if the end of the world is real, then this will affect not just the mortals, but the spirits too."

Wan Shi Tong mulled it over for a few seconds before twisting his hooked beak in what could only be translated as his version of a smile.

"Very well, Avatar," Wan Shi Tong nodded, "I shall assist you."

Aang smiled and bowed in gratitude for his understanding and help. "Thank you, Wan Shi Tong."

Wan Shi Tong nodded as Aang rose back to his earlier stature.

"So why can't I find anything here?" Aang threw his hands up in frustration.

Wan Shi Tong looked at the sign indicating the Mythology Section. "Perhaps, because what you are searching for is not myth, but fact."

"Fact?" Aang raised an eyebrow, "How could the _end _of the world be fact at all?"

"Just because the end of the world started doesn't mean that it was completed," Wan Shi Tong said as he about faced and began to walk out of the antechamber. "Come with me if wish to know the truth."

Aang hesitated for a second. Not because he was afraid of the owl spirit. No, he can handle his own on that end. He was afraid of what truth lied with the direction the owl was leading him. Still, he could not give into fear. He had to figure this out for the sake of the world.

He quickly ran after and caught up with Wan Shi Tong through the dark, subterranean library.

**Zuko. Throne Room. **

Zuko sat on the padded seat of his throne before a wall of fire that separated him from the Overseers that sat around a long, rectangular table before him.

"As you can see from my reports, my lord," the Overseer of the Military stated, "the last remnants of the Separatist Armies in the Fire Nation have been swept away since your departure to the Earth Kingdom front. All provinces are now stabilized and loyal to you."

"Very good," Zuko said, only half interested. He'd known about the victories there because, simply, he lead it personally. Not to mention his mind dwelled back on the letter in his pocket regarding the Wayward Ones.

"All in all, my lord," On Ji, the Vizier and Chief Overseer reported, taking note of his distracted nature, "the Separatist presence in the Fire Nation is no more."

"Good. Then what other matter do we have at hand?" Zuko looked at them.

The Overseer of the Treasury straitened the papers in front of him. "Well, my lord, as you obviously know we have been at war for the past four and a half years. And this war has dealt a very devastating blow to our finances."

"It was a necessary blow," On Ji defended.

"I'm not saying otherwise," the Overseer said, "I'm just simply mentioning that our deficit has nearly doubled in the last four years from already dismal statistics prior to the war."

"Your suggestion?" Zuko asked.

"Raising taxes, my lord," the Overseer answered, "particularly on the peasant and artisan classes. The fact that they represent seventy percent of our nation would result in full recovery in two years."

"Those people have already had two tax increases in the last three years," the Political Overseer stated, "The popularity of the Fire Lord would decrease severely if we implement that."

"Meaning?" the Overseer of the Treasury asked.

"Meaning that lower popularity could result in a resurgence of Separatism," the Overseer of the Military added.

"Well, we can't live with a declining economy," the Overseer of the Treasury stated.

"Our number one export is manufactured goods," the Overseer of Commerce stated, "We could produce more exported goods to sell to the Earth Kingdom."

"That sounds like a better plan," On Ji said, "Especially with King Haru's plan to unify the Earth Kingdom with several railways."

"Do it," Zuko said, "And raise taxes on imported goods with the exception of steel and coal. We'll stimulate our own businesses that way."

The others nodded in agreement.

Zuko was quiet for a few more seconds before asking, "What's the progress with the Wayward Ones?"

The Overseers looked confused at the random question uttered by the Fire Lord.

"The Wayward Ones?" On Ji asked, equally confused.

**Aang. Wan Shi Tong's Library**

Aang followed Wan Shi Tong through the dark, winding catacombs that was once one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Through these ruins he hoped to uncover the mystery of the alleged end of the world.

Wan Shi Tong lead him to an opening of a hallway similar to the one they were just in. Aang looked up at the writing above the archway; The Chronological History of the Mortal World.

"It's in history?" Aang asked.

"Yes," Wan Shi Tong nodded, "the Apocalypse has only been attempted at one point during the history of the world. Here you will find what no mortal history book shall tell you."

The owl extended his wing out, allowing Aang to enter first. As he walked inside he shot a small stream of fire at a torch, igniting it. Aang grabbed it and held it up, fueling it with his firebending to get a full view of the place. To say the room was huge would be an understatement, this place had to be bigger than the Avatar Chamber in the Southern Air Temple and was easily the largest single room in the library. To his right was a shelf that formed the end of a continuous, winding line of other shelves.

While in awe of the large, domed chamber, he remembered the mission at hand. A round, brass medallion hung from the shelf as it gleamed from the light. The glare shot Aang in the eye, instantly catching his attention. He lowered his light and caught a full look at it. It looked as if a seal of some sort was stamped onto it.

He reached up and grabbed the medallion, tilting it to get a full view. On the four corners of the circle the insignias of the four elements were stamped in along with an inscription written in an ancient language that read "divine medium who has descended upon the mortal world"; the Avatar. In the middle of the element symbols and the inscription, was a large imprint of letters in the same language as the inscription; it was his name. Next to it, was a picture of him. It was the Fire Nation wanted poster of him when he was twelve. Wow he looked young there.

"Why is my name on here?" Aang asked.

Wan Shi Tong appeared behind him and studied the shelf. "The Chronology is organized according to what Avatar is alive at the time. From the first all the way down to you."

Aang nodded, understanding what Wan Shi Tong told him. He walked along the shelf and looked at all the medallions he passed; Roku, Kyoshi…

"How do I know which one?" Aang wondered as he passed Kuruk's.

"You will know," the great owl replied.

Aang passed by Yang-Chen's medallion, the airbender before him. She must've lived an impressive life for her section was nearly twice as big as Roku's. After about twelve feet of her section he came to Avatar Shavo's medallion, the firebending Avatar before Yang-Chen. Nothing too familiar about him, though his section was skinny compared to the Avatar that predated him; Avatar Jung of the Earth Kingdom.

**Zuko. Throne Room. **

"What about the Wayward Ones?" On Ji asked.

Zuko pulled the letter and petition out of his robe and threw it on the table for all to read. "I came across this letter a couple hours ago. It contains a request and petition for the pardon and return of the Wayward Ones."

On Ji reached across the table and glanced it over. Upon finishing it she shook her head in confusion. "This doesn't make any sense."

"I know," Zuko agreed, "It's been nearly eighteen years since the end of Sozin's War, and since the end of my father's, Fire Lord Ozai's, reign. Why is this the first I'm hearing of this?"

"My lord," On Ji stated and set the paper on the table in front of her, "we have pardoned them."

Zuko raised his eyebrow in surprise, "We have?"

Some of the Overseers did their best to hide their rolled eyes and groans disguised as coughs at the Fire Lord's apparent incompetence.

On Ji shot them all a brief warning glare before returning to the Fire Lord. "You signed an official pardon at the beginning of your reign. It was one of your first acts."

Zuko thought for a second. He did remember vaguely of his pardoning of all the Wayward Ones. The main reason he did that was in hopes to see his mother returned to him again.

"Then why hasn't anything been done in eighteen years?!" Zuko raised his voice, which incidentally intensified the flames in front of him.

"We sent the letter off to the Dempul Province in the Earth Kingdom," the Political Overseer stated. "And the ship carrying it did return so the pardon was delivered. By all regards, they should have returned."

"But they haven't," Zuko muttered. "This kind of thing could further hurt the reputation and honor of the government. If those five hundred families believe we've been ignoring them for this long, then that will cause them to loose faith and possibly fall into Separatist hands. We can't afford low public opinion."

The Political Overseer nodded, "I agree."

On Ji nodded as well, "As do I, but what do you plan to do?"

Zuko thought for a second, then looked forward, fierce with determination, "The honor of our nation has been in question for so many years now. Ever since the end of the war we have spent nearly everything to regain it. This is the last remaining wound left open from Sozin's War and it's high time we tended to it."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them, "I will see to it personally that the Wayward Ones return home."

**Rozin. South Pole Palace. **

Rozin sat alone in his and the other boys' room. The palace was very quiet save for the occasional servant walking by, but that didn't bother him none. Everyone else had gone on that hike through the Antarctic Glaciers they had planned on going. However, he vouched not to go. He conjured up a half lie about needed to pack for their departure tonight. While he did need to pack, he found himself utterly distracted by thoughts of Kya. Damn her for being on his mind all the time.

He looked down at his scattered articles of clothing, including his new leather, fur lined coat that was the reason he went out this morning.

Rozin sat at the edge of his bed and covered his face, groaning into his palms. Life wasn't supposed to be this complicated. But he made it complicated. A self saboteur. Anything good that comes into his life, he always pushes it away before they do him.

He looked up to the sound of shuffling footsteps and echoing voices coming down the hallway. Glancing briefly out the window to see the dark orange light of dusk in the sky, he realized it was the others probably here just in time for supper.

_Great, _he thought to himself, _people. _

Within seconds the other boys opened the door and instantly headed for the small fire pit in the middle of the room and surrounded it to warm themselves up.

"Gods, it's cold out there," Tom cursed and held his hands over the fire for warmth.

Lao and Zek did the same for they too were frozen to the bone.

Zek removed the scarf that covered his face revealing a bright red face that could only be the result of sub zero temperatures. He glanced over at his brother who was busy pretending to pack.

"Man, you're lucky you didn't go out there," Zek shivered, "Way too cold."

"That's why it's always good to have a good woman with ya," Lao smirked.

Rozin glared suspiciously at Lao wondering who he was referring to.

Zek shot his trademark glare at Lao, "I did. But my jerk of an uncle would throw snowballs at us every time we got 'too close.'"

"It was for your own good," Tom shrugged, "Besides, I wasn't the only one throwing them."

Zek rolled his eyes, "Yeah, Jian. Did I mention the two of you are on my hit list now?"

Tom grinned cockily, "Bring it."

Zek glared and lowered his head, muttering something incomprehensible about how he's going to exact his revenge.

Tom could only smirk and roll his eyes, clearly not threatened by his nephew's morbid threats.

There was a knock at the door followed by Shaola strolling in.

Tom glared at her, "Hey, we could've been undressed!"

Shaola rolled her eyes, "Like I would see anything after that mountain of snow fell on you earlier."

She was referring to a huge pile of snow she had Kya bury him in a few minutes earlier and the effects that would have on a man below the waist.

Tom blushed and turned his head away; a rare time he allowed someone else to burn him. "Nicely played."

Shaola shook her head and head up to her boyfriend. He welcomed her warmth and pulled her in for a quick kiss.

"What's up?" Zek asked as he held her close.

"Wanna get warm?" she winked.

Tom held up a finger warningly, "Hey, hey! None of that here!"

Shaola rolled her eyes again. A custom she was getting used to when around Tom. "Pakku made some hot tea in the library." She turned back to Zek, "And he also wanted to know how a bunch of darts got stuck up in the ceiling…"

Zek grinned sheepishly as Shaola took him by the hand and lead him out of the room.

Tom muttered something under his breath as he pulled his dripping wet fur coat off and replaced it with a long sleeved fleece shirt. With that he followed the young couple out, partially to keep them from getting into trouble, but also for the hot tea that awaited them.

Rozin shook his head and returned to packing away his clothes. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Lao staring at him by the fire. Rozin decided to ignore it for the moment.

That didn't last too long with his short fuse. "What?!" he shouted.

"Nothing," Lao shrugged as he grabbed the fire poker and stoked the fire, "I'm just curious as to what the deal is between you and Kya."

Rozin coughed nervously, "Me and…Kya?"

"Yeah. I know you two had a thing in the past and all, and if you're still together I'd be willing to back off," Lao stated.

Rozin sighed, "We're not."

"Well, I could tell you like her and all," Lao said, "and I know why you do."

Rozin raised his eyebrow quizzically, "You do?"

"Yeah, it's obvious," Lao said casually, "The daughter of the Avatar married to the future Fire Lord. It'd be a good way to improve relations with the rest of the world."

Rozin shook his head incredulously, "Ok, first of all there has been no Fire Lord in the history of the Fire Nation that married outside of the country. And second, why would I ever do something like that to her?! I would never use her like that!"

Lao shrugged, "Fair enough."

Rozin settled down, "So what's your interest in her?"

Lao shrugged, "The same I thought you wanted. Having her next to me on the throne will make the Earth Kingdom invincible for the whole of my reign. And the Kingdom will be ruled by the lineage of the Earth King and the Avatar for eons to come."

Rozin glared at him. The rat bastard was actually going to use her. For political reasons of all things! He didn't want her for her beauty, wit, intelligence, personality, or anything. She was nothing more than a prize to him.

"You do realize that my father, and me and my brother, are descendants of the Avatar as well?" Rozin stated.

Lao raised his eyebrow, "You are? How?"

"Avatar Roku was my great, great grandfather."

"Oh," Lao realized, "So would that make it kind of incest if you got with Kya?"

Rozin looked at him incredulously, "No! I'm not related in any way to Aang."

"But you are related to his past life," Lao smirked.

Rozin threw his hands up in defeat, "I give up."

Lao stood up and backed away from the fire, "Fair enough. If I were you, though, I would stay out of my way. I will get Kya, and there's nothing you can do about that."

Rozin stood up and glared at him defiantly, "We'll see. You shouldn't have told me your asshole plan. I might just tell Kya."

Lao smirked, "Go for it. And I'll just tell her you've been playing her all these years with no intention to marry her due to your laws."

"What do you mean?" Rozin raised an eyebrow.

"Fire Lords can only marry Fire Nation citizens, right?"

"Yes…"

"I don't think she would take it too lightly that you've been playing her for all these years," Lao threatened coyly.

Rozin glared at the over confident Earth Kingdom prince who turned and exited the room. Rozin stared after him until he was sure he was gone. He couldn't let him do this to Kya. She deserved much better than that. He would stop him.

**Aang. Wan Shi Tong's Library**

Aang froze upon reading the Avatar's name on the medallion. Avatar Jung. Aang knew that name well. He's heard it only twice in his life; once at the first Council of Nations meeting in the Southern Air Temple, and the second was by Koh the Face Stealer. Even though he'd only heard the name those few times it made a lasting impression for Jung was the first and only Avatar to fall to darkness and wreak havoc on the world.

Wan Shi Tong appeared behind him, "I see you've found it."

Aang looked up at him, confused, "Avatar Jung? He was the Avatar during the first Apocalypse?"

"You don't sound so surprised," Wan Shi Tong noted, "You've heard of him before?"

Aang nodded as he instinctively reached up and rolled open the thousand year old scroll. He read over the passage at the beginning of it which read "The Last Days of Avatar Jung".

_My name is Fire Lord Zong. It has been almost six years since the beginning of the end. Days upon days of merciless destruction and death. We turned to the Avatar who, for generations before_, _should've protected the world. However, the world has never encountered such a problem that even the Avatar couldn't fix, and where the one person we would turn to for help would not only turn his back on us but, he would destroy us. _

_I had long since been a friend of Avatar Jung and we went as far back as I could remember. I was the son of a Fire Nation Nomarch and he was the son of an Earth Kingdom diplomat that served in the Fire Nation. Together we would get into all sorts of trouble. Though he was an earthbender by birth and I a firebender, we never seemed to act in the stereotypical way. He was always rather reckless and adventurous, while I was always the one bailing him out in the end or holding him back telling him the idea he had was too stupid. It was an odd friendship, but it worked. We were the counter balance to each other._

_We both turned sixteen around the same time and it was there we learned of him being the Avatar who succeeded Kimara of the Water Tribe. His first step as the Avatar was to seek out a firebending master. Well, that was easy for him, for he picked me. He was a natural to it after seeing me do it hundreds of times before. _

_Very quickly a year passed by and he had learned all the firebending techniques there was to know. His next destination was into the Air Nomad lands, in his case the Southern Air Temple. I, however could not follow. My father had gotten ill and I had to take care of him and assume his duties. I tearfully said goodbye to my old friend and he did to me, promising we would see each other again. Little did we know this would be the last time we would ever look at each other as friends. _

_But life went on. My father regrettably passed and I assumed his role as a Nomarch. Within a year I met and married a beautiful woman, Princess Serika, who was coincidentally the brother to the future Fire Lord, Prince Rezor. We became friends as well as brothers in law, and soon he promoted me to be his Vizier as he took the big job as Fire Lord. _

_Five years had passed since my best friend, Avatar Jung, had left the Fire Nation to go and train as the Avatar. By then my beautiful wife had provided me with two kids; a boy and a girl named Varto and Zovika respectively. Both were smart and talented little prodigies like their parents. My job, while difficult at times, was something I envisioned myself doing for the rest of my life. _

_About that time tensions were strong between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. Both were emerging naval powers and both were fighting for control over the waters. While the Earth Kingdom had its mass resources and land from owning an entire continent, they aspired for naval superiority over their rival, us. Our nation was small and relied heavily on imports from the Water Tribes, the Air Temples, and the small independent islands in the South Sea, as well as what had to be shipped from the Earth Kingdom. By this time, they had put an embargo on us and were threatening a blockade if we didn't step down from our naval operations. Fire Lord Rezor promised he would not go down without a fight. He knew that the only reason the Earth Kingdom wanted control of the waters was to eliminate the Fire Nation as a threat so they could conquer the world. _

_Before long, it boiled down to a final peaceful meeting between the leaders of the two nations. I was in attendance at the Fire Lord's side, but, much to my surprise, so was my old friend, Avatar Jung. We silently recognized each other before letting the meetings take place. See, as the Avatar, he was the mediator of the meeting, but that wasn't to say he was without his bias. Being an earthbender by birth caused him to favor the Earth Kingdom more so than the Fire Nation. Rezor was outraged and demanded equality, but Jung wouldn't hear it. In fact, Jung decreed that the Earth Kingdom would have total naval superiority and have control and access to Fire Nation ports. Rezor was livid and defiant. He then declared war on the Earth Kingdom and any ally of them. Rezor stormed out of the room. I followed, giving my former friend one last disappointed look before I left. _

_War soon broke out and I found myself ruling the Fire Nation while Rezor, being the hands on guy he was, was off leading the campaign. While it was primarily us against the Earth Kingdom, both Water Tribes and some of the independent islands of the South Sea joined out cause, refusing to be under Earth Kingdom influence. The Earth Kingdom used its legionnaires by the thousands but a new group of soldiers emerged, a group of white faced men called the Order of Koh. They were scary, but easily defeated. _

_After ten long years, the final battle raged upon the ancient city of Omashu. We were winning and the Earth King was helpless. Soon he and the Avatar were defeated, ending the war. Or so we thought. _

_Out of the ashes a new evil was born. An evil which embodied one of the few things left that was supposed to be good; the Avatar. My old friend had succumbed to the dark ways of Koh and dubbed himself the Dark Avatar, and ordered everyone to follow in his footsteps if they wanted to live. Though some did bow down only to have their life taken from them and become his undead slaves, many rose up and fought. Those fights were futile. With every one of us they killed, the Dark Avatar simply reanimated them and they became a part of his ever growing army of undead. _

**Agnia Palace. **

Mai sat in her and Zuko's master suite and relaxed in the velvet armchair. It felt so good to be home, back within her own comfort zone. She always felt out of place whenever she left the palace, or Agnia for that matter, and never really connected with any of Zuko's friends. It really made no difference to her for she'd always felt like the outsider her whole life.

She heard some voices approach her door and instinctively turned. The first, and loudest voice, was a dead giveaway and could only be her husband's angry, almost intimidating voice. Mai had to roll her eyes and shake her head, probably the one person in the world who felt no fear when he was angry. Though, she pitied the poor soul on the receiving end of his voice.

The other voice was just as loud but by no means masculine, however it carried the stubborn power that made her husband popular.

Just before she could picture the owner of the second voice the red, oak door to their chambers flew open followed by a pissed off Zuko and glaring On Ji. Mai rose as they entered, confusion written all across her face.

"Did I miss something?" Mai asked.

On Ji glanced over and gave a quick bow to the Fire Lady, "No, lady Mai. Just your husband being a fool."

Mai shrugged and leaned against her bedpost, "I see that everyday."

Zuko shot a glare at his wife. She wasn't helping the situation.

Mai decided to be the good wife and walk over beside her husband. She gently rested a hand on his padded shoulder and leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek. "Better?" she asked, looking up at him tenderly.

Zuko's face softened a bit, but it did little to divert him from the matter at hand. He turned back to On Ji glaring at the woman. "How dare they tell me what to do? I'm the Fire Lord, I should be telling them!"

Mai looked confused, "What's going on?"

On Ji looked at the Fire Lady, "His highness wants to personally lead a mission into the Dempul Province to locate the Wayward Ones and bring them back. The Overseers and I agreed that it would be too expensive and it would leave the Fire Nation without its leader."

"You all survived four years without me sitting on the throne," Zuko grumbled and sat in the chair his wife was previously occupying.

"You've only been here for a day," On Ji stated, "people need you to be here to have faith in their country."

"She's right, Zuko," Mai agreed, "Not to mention if you leave I wouldn't be here."

"Where are you going?" On Ji asked. This was news to her.

"Ba Sing Se," Mai replied, "I'm assisting Katara and Toph with the Council of Nations."

"Ah," On Ji replied.

Mai returned to Zuko, "Why do you feel you have to do this anyway?"

"Honor," On Ji snorted.

"It's not just honor," Zuko corrected with a heavy voice, "It has been almost twenty five years. Twenty five years since my mother was taken from me. That whole time I wondered where my mother was. I even tried to find her when I was banished."

"But everyone knew where the Wayward Ones were," On Ji said.

Zuko shook his head, "Under my father and grandfather, the location was a secret. I did tear through the archives and anything regarding my mother was destroyed. Ozai effectively erased her from history. It was like she never existed."

Both Mai and On Ji looked softly at him. They now knew why he felt so compelled to go and bring them back.

"You said you talked with Ozai while he was in prison," Mai said.

"And he never told me," Zuko said, "Now I have a chance to bring them back, and be reunited with my mother. I will not let something as petty as that council thwart me."

"That petty council is what keeps this country together," On Ji defended, "and what keeps us from becoming a dictatorship like it was under Sozin's War."

"I need to know!" Zuko shouted desperately.

On Ji held her head low, "I'm sorry, my lord. It has been decided. Good evening." She bowed and exited their chambers.

Zuko pulled the crown from his top knot and threw it on his desk without the least bit of care.

"Zuko…" Mai started.

"What do you care?!" Zuko shouted and stood up away from her. "She wasn't your mother. How would you know what I'm going through?!"

"I knew and loved your mother too!" Mai raised her voice, "She would care for me when my own mother shunned me away. And I wish she was here to see how good a man you grew up to be. I wish she was here to see her grandkids. I wish for a lot of things, but I'm also realistic. And your country needs you right now. That means you have to put your own desires aside and put your country first."

Zuko sighed, letting his anger disappear with his exhaled breath. In his mind she was right and his people did need him now more than ever. But his heart was saying he was right and he needed to find her. Even if she wasn't alive he needed closure to put his mind at ease.

He turned to his wife and pulled her into an embrace, which she returned. It wasn't as much for love as it was for comfort. They needed each other right now, just as always.

"Times like this I really wish Uncle was here," Zuko lamented.

"I know," she nodded into his chest, "but there are people who love you here too."

"I know," Zuko nodded and placed a small kiss on her head.

They held each other in silence. Little did Mai know that her husband was secretly hatching a plan inside his head.

**Aang. Wan Shi Tong's Library. **

_Within a year, the land was scorched and the waters red with blood. Bodies were everywhere as the smell of rotting flesh became part of the norm. Most of the Earth Kingdom had fallen with the exception of the large city state known as Ba Sing Se, and the whole of the Water Tribes, the Air Temples, and eventually the Fire Nation fell. The last survivors of the world resided behind the massive walls of Ba Sing Se, me and my family included. The Fire Lord had died a few months prior which made me the next one. I not only lost a brother in law, but a son and, eventually, wife. Both were killed when the Dark Avatar sacked the Fire Nation, and I had much difficulty in accepting their loss. I thanked the gods for my daughter, Zovika, who helped me through it all. In fact it was her and her future husband, the airbender named Kryo, and an earthbending boy, Peng, and a waterbending girl, Ama, who formed the resistance group known as the Order of the White Lotus. There, they stood with their armies against the undead in the final battle of earth. _

_As they fought, I took it upon myself, with help from the Fire God, Agni, and the Sun God, Razek, to fight the Dark Avatar at the volcano in the Western Earth Kingdom. He was incredibly powerful, but also confused. He didn't seem to want to fight me. I knew his secret of being killed in the Avatar State, so that's what I tried to do. But he was too strong and managed to incapacitate me. However, instead of killing me, he used his power to create a comet. I knew the power of comets and how they fuel a firebender, so I used it to my advantage. I unleashed a fury of fire at him and nearly incinerated him. He was, however, out of his Avatar State, but was no less defeated. I looked at him with pity and sadness as his burning body slipped down into the fiery pit of lava below. He returned my pitied gaze with a look of hatred and pain. I turned away as my old friend met his fiery death in the heart of the volcano. When the screams were gone, I looked over to see his charred remains at the base of the lake of fire. With his death, the undead army died too. _

_The world, though shaken to its core, had survived. Peace resumed and the world repopulated itself. A year later, knowing that the next Avatar would be born in the Fire Nation, I discovered him. I adopted the boy and trained him, not just in firebending, but in the ways of the Avatar. Perhaps with him, there could be hope for the world. Only time will tell. _

Aang looked over the scroll with wide eyes. He couldn't believe something like this had happened. An Avatar, like himself, was responsible for the worst act of bloodshed the world has ever seen. But, still, there was something this was forgetting.

"What does this have to do with my vision?" Aang asked, frustrated, "I dreamed of cities being swallowed up by mountains, and oceans, and fire. Not this."

"Perhaps they're symbolic," Wan Shi Tong offered, nearing close to Aang. "You mustn't look at dreams literally."

Something in the back of Aang's mind made him nervous. Something was wrong. Fearing to look back as the owl silently leaned in much too close for Aang's comfort, Aang tapped his toe on the earth beneath him. The reverberations revealed how deathly close Wan Shi Tong was to him now.

"But it does not matter," Wan Shi Tong continued, "for you will not be alive long enough to interpret them."

With that, the owl threw his head forward at Aang, who quickly ducked away in time to avoid a fatal blow. Wan Shi Tong, having missed his target slammed his head into the bookshelf, sending it toppling over into the other, then the other. Like dominos.

The owl glared at his mistake as thousands of years of history crashed before him. He turned his glare to the Avatar, who was rearing for a firebending attack. A stream of fire was shot at the owl, but the great spirit effortlessly blocked it with a gust of wind from his wings.

"It's pointless to use bending on me. I know it all."

"Why do you want to kill me?!" Aang demanded as he hopped on top of a bookshelf.

The owl glared, "You must die. A prophecy has been filled which connects to you the end of the world."

Wan Shi Tong lunged, but missed as Aang hopped to the next bookshelf.

"I can save it!" Aang shouted as the owl lunged at him again, causing him to fly over to another bookshelf.

"No you can't," Wan Shi Tong said, "You will destroy it! Just like Avatar Jung did. I refuse to watch the world burn as it did a thousand years ago."

"I will not destroy it!" Aang shouted defiantly as he shot a warning blast of fire at the owl.

Wan Shi Tong dodged it and barely managed to keep the fire from igniting the books around him. "Careful, child! Ten thousand years of history lay in this room!"

Aang looked past Wan Shi Tong. The owl was blocking his escape. He needed a distraction. He smirked evilly as an epiphany hit him. What better distraction to a librarian than the books themselves.

"Ten thousand years, you say?" Aang repeated in a voice not quite his own.

Wan Shi Tong's eyes widened, as the Avatar's eyes flashed white for a split second and he sent a large blast of fire around the room. In a flash, everything combustible was on fire.

Wan Shi Tong looked around in horror as the countless ancient documents were ablaze around him. He looked at the escaping Avatar, who flew right past him, with more hatred than could be imaginable in his eyes.

The owl spirit flew in front of Aang, ready to end his sorry life. Aang was faster, however. He instinctively touched his right hand on Wan Shi Tong's forehead. As he did, a brilliant white light emitted from Aang and flooded the room.

Wan Shi Tong was petrified as he looked at the Avatar in horror. Aang stared back with his blazing white eyes filled with hate.

"You tried to kill me," Aang said in a disembodied voice, "You tried to prevent the natural course of time in the world. Now, you shall die along with your precious books, Knowledge Seeker."

And with that the light became blindingly bright and then, disappeared.

Aang stood with his hand still touching Wan Shi Tong's head. He looked up, drearily, and saw the great spirit twitching upon his touch. Aang removed his hand and Wan Shi Tong fell limply to the ground.

Aang looked at his hands with awe. He couldn't help but smile at this newfound power. He has done what no man has done before and killed a spirit. This was the power he was looking for. The power Koh mentioned four years ago.

He turned around and picked up his staff, unfolding the wings out before kicking off and flying his way out of the ancient library, leaving it burning behind him. With it, the picture of his younger self just as a flame touched it and ignited it, the fire consuming his ink based figure and reducing it to ashes.

With this new power, he will bring eternal peace to the world. And no one will stand in his way.

**A/N: Wow, long time no see, huh? To sum up my absence in short: midterms suck, film making drains the very life and energy out of me, working and going to school at the same time is a bad idea, and Twilight doesn't help. Yes I'm reading Twilight, but only to appease my aunt. We made a deal that I would read that if she watched Book 1 of Avatar.**

**I digress. Anyway, I apologize for my absence, but hopefully this super long, steroid enhanced chapter would be enough of a fix for you all. I'm going to do my best to keep posting, but updates will be sporadic from here until Dec. 15 or so when winter break starts. **

**Ok, so we have some interesting OC's up there. I did NOT pull the names out of my ass. They are real, or I butchered them from Native American, Armenian, Chinese, Persian, Ancient Egyptian, and Indian names, so yeah...**

**So as always read and review and I'll try to be back as soon as possible. **

**Peace and kill rock n roll!  
**


	7. The Wayward Ones

**Chapter 7**

**The Wayward Ones**

**Zuko. Agnia Palace**

It was the predawn hours in the Fire Nation's capital city. In the age old palace that housed the Fire Lord and his royal family, a cloaked figure crept through the dark halls. A pair of broadswords were slung along his back, and his scarred face was partially concealed by his draped hood of his robes. He was none other than Fire Lord Zuko, himself.

Zuko slowly crept through the halls, treading lightly and not making a sound to alert the guards and, even worse, his wife. He had a very important mission to accomplish and no one could stand in his way. His mission was to the Dempul Province in the northwestern part of the Earth Kingdom where there existed a group of people banished years ago from the Fire Nation; the Wayward Ones. And it was in his duty as Fire Lord to return them back to their homes.

He came across the secret entrance to a tunnel that lead out of the palace and into the city. The same one his sons and their friends used to escape four years earlier. In fact, Zuko himself had used it several times as boy, usually as a way to escape his father. He had a hunch that everyone in his past bloodline knew of it from their childhoods. Rumor has it, it was created by Avatar Jung when he was a boy and living in the Fire Nation.

But Zuko gave no second thought to the tunnel's origins as he made his way through, making sure the door closed up behind him.

He made his way out of the tunnel and into the city. He looked to the east past the ridges of the volcanic crater that Agnia lied in. The dark orange and purple light of the sun began to peak signaling dawn fast approaching. He scanned the cityscape for any early risers, but as he expected there were none. Although the Fire Nation was made up of hard working, industrialized people who would often be up at the crack of dawn, Agnia was populated mostly by nomarchs, overseers, and other citizens of the upper class. The sun will be well up before they would rise from their slumbers. With that in mind he dashed down the street, exiting the city.

After exiting the upper part of the city, he now found himself at the docks along the shoreline. Numerous ironclads of various sizes were docked along the piers, as was the method of transportation he sought; an airship. One of several in the Fire Nation's air navy, and the one he was planning on stowing away on for his journey to the Dempul Peninsula.

He removed his hood and sized up the airship. Steam was already rising from the smokestacks and the gentle hum of the turbines echoed along the docks in tune with the lapping of the waves against the shore.

He took a deep breath and sighed, "Let's do this."

He didn't even take one step forward without being halted by a sharp, yet monotonous female voice from behind. "Not running away again, are you?"

Zuko froze, instantly recognizing the voice. He turned and saw his wife, Mai, standing behind with a cross look and her arms crossed. The kind of look she usually reserved for their sons.

"I didn't even get a note this time," she antagonized.

Zuko sighed. She had to bring that up. "You can't stop me, Mai."

"There's a million ways a wife can stop her husband from doing something stupid," Mai replied coyly, "even if he is the Fire Lord."

Zuko glanced away, "I have to do this."

Mai relaxed a bit, "I know."

Zuko perked up, "You do?"

Mai nodded, "Zuko, I've known you my whole life. I know that once you have an idea in your head, it's damn hard to beat it out. Especially when it comes to honor and family."

"I feel a 'but' coming on there," Zuko commented.

"But," Mai said, "you are a leader of a nation. You must put your people's needs before your own."

"I am putting their needs first!" Zuko stated.

"Your people need you here!" Mai rebutted, "Not gallivanting off on some wild goose chase for you mother."

Zuko closed his eyes and lowered his head. A look that was usually associated when he was conflicted with an important issue.

Mai softened and closed the gap between her and her husband. She wrapped her arms around him, giving him the warmth and comfort he needed.

"It's been twenty five years, Zuko," Mai said softly, "maybe it's time to let go."

"I can't," Zuko replied defiantly, "I need to know. And so do all the other families out there with loved ones gone. I'm obligated to do this. If not me, then who?"

Mai pulled her head up and stared into his golden eyes, "I won't let you do this."

Zuko froze. Though the determination on his face remained unchanged, he was shocked to see how defiant his wife was. He'd never seen her like this before.

Mai broke the stare down with a soft, reassuring kiss, surprising Zuko who went along with it. Mai parted a few seconds later.

"At least," Mai continued, "without help."

Zuko smiled, a rare sight to anyone, "You mean it?!"

Mai nodded, "No husband of mine's going to stow away on an airship without some back up."

Zuko held her close and gave her a thankful kiss, "Thank you, Mai."

"You better go," Mai said, "the servants will be up in an hour, and I'm 'still asleep'."

Zuko nodded and turned to the airship, giving one last look at his wife before ascending the ramp. "I'll be in the cargo hold. Let me know when we cross over the peninsula."

Mai nodded, "I will."

Zuko got to the top of the airship's ramp and gave one last look to his wife before disappearing into the bowels of the flying machine.

Once she knew he was safely inside, Mai turned and began her long walk back into Agnia.

**Aang. Si Wong Desert. **

The sun began to rise over the vast, numerous sand dunes of the Si Wong Desert giving them an eerie, yet beautiful orange glow. It would've been a beautiful sight if not for the scar of a crater that was once the great library of Wan Shi Tong.

A blast of air and dust blew a hole from within the crater sending a cloud of debris which frightened away a small pack of foxes which were camped near it. A flash of yellow and orange emerged from the newly formed hole and the figure landed with ease. The bald headed monk that was the Avatar stood strong with pride and determination as he surveyed the desert landscape. He turned down to the hole that lead down to the subterranean library and his face softened. Suddenly he felt remorse for the great spirit he'd just killed and what he did to his library.

Aang dropped his staff and gazed at the palms of his hands. He couldn't believe what he had just done. This recent power, Life-Bending, had been almost completely alien to him save for the last four years. Granted he's killed several Face-Stealers and Azula herself, but even he felt those deaths were justified. But what he'd just done, killing a spirit. There was no justification there; he did it in cold blood. Not only was this new power strange to him, it was also possessing him to do things he would never dream of doing.

He sighed and sat in the sand below. He leaned forward and covered his face, deep in thought. Aang knew he was on a slippery slope. He could not keep doing this. He was the Avatar. He was better than this.

Aang uncovered his face as a gust of wind picked up around him. There was only one person he knew of in the universe who could help him. Only this person had been dead for a millennia. Avatar Jung.

Aang took a deep breath and turned to the east, towards the rising sun. He closed his eyes and settled in a meditative position. Within a few minutes his tattoos and eyes glowed a brilliant white. He had crossed over into the Spirit World.

**Zuko. The Airship**

Zuko crouched behind a stack of crates in the cargo hold of the airship. They had been flying for nearly four hours and for all those hours he had been hidden in that cargo hold. It kind of reminded him of old times, before he was Fire Lord. In fact, this was vaguely similar to what he did shortly before the Fire Nation's attack on the North Pole all those years ago. In a way he kind of missed those days of adventure. Naturally he didn't miss how he constantly attacked Aang and his friends, but he did miss the over all adventure. Not that he didn't have adventures now, with the current war and all. But this was different. He couldn't explain it. Maybe it had to do with him being the Fire Lord, a husband, and a father now that made him less reckless than before.

Zuko smirked to himself as he reminisced. He highly doubted that now at the age of thirty four and with everything he had, he would risk life and limb sneaking into enemy encampments and swimming through icy tunnels like he did seventeen years ago. He figured it was just him growing up and maturing into the man he was to be known for the rest of time.

There was creak at the door which snapped him out of his thoughts. He tensed as he saw the crack of light from the open door slowly widen. The shadow of someone standing in the doorway alerted him and he instinctively reached for his swords.

"Zuko?" the shadow whispered in Mai's voice.

Zuko sighed and relaxed for it was his wife, his accomplice in this mission. He took a few steps away from the crates and emerged in full view.

Mai shut the door and stepped towards him. "We're about to cross over the Dempul Peninsula."

Zuko nodded, "Good. Does anyone suspect?"

Mai shook her head, "No. Lucky for us the winds forced us to fly over it anyway."

Mai paused and looked at her husband's face with a look of concern. She reached up and cupped his cheek, turning his head towards her. "Did you sleep at all?"

Zuko shook his head, "I couldn't. It's like before a battle."

"But you're not going into battle."

"I know but the anticipation's the same," Zuko said before her turned and grabbed a large bag that housed his parachute for his airborne landing. He slung it over his shoulder and turned to his wife. "Time to go."

They walked to the other side of the cargo hold to the access hatch for the outside. Zuko spun the wheel and released the hatch. With a gust of wind the door opened and revealed the mid morning sun and air. Down below was the brown and green mass that was the Dempul Peninsula.

Zuko stepped out onto the service ramp, still holding onto the door. He gulped out of his fear of heights, though managed to keep it out of sight of Mai who stood behind him.

Mai put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn to face each other. They gazed into each other's eyes for what seemed like a lifetime before finally pulling into an embrace.

"Be safe," Mai whispered, fighting back tears, "for my sake."

Zuko nodded, "I will. And I'll be back before you know it."

Zuko parted and they looked at each other again.

"I love you," Mai stated for the millionth time in their seventeen year long relationship, but somehow this time the words were more profound.

Mai pulled him in for a kiss neither of them will ever forget; the kiss of a lifetime. Neither wanted it to end, but of course it was Zuko who would end up pulling away after several seconds.

"I love you too, Mai," he whispered before taking a step back to the ramp.

He slung the other strap of his parachute over his shoulder and looked down at the landmass below. He turned for one last look at the love of his life before taking a deep breath and making the jump.

As soon as he disappeared from Mai's sight, she broke down in tears. She was never one to show her emotions, least of all sadness. As much as she wanted to believe he would come back, she couldn't help but feel in the pit of her stomach that this was the last time they would ever see each other.

Zuko fell through the air like a rock. He'd only done a sky jump like this once in his life and even then he felt more panicked than any other time before in his life. He'd have no trouble trekking it through a blizzard in the North Pole, braving the great desert of the Earth Kingdom, or, hell, even a psychotic Azula during Sozin's Comet. But falling through the air at extremely high altitudes was up there with the things that scared the living hell out of him.

As the land of Dempul came closer with every second, he remembered the instructions Jet gave him during his first experience. While he couldn't tell the approximate distance between him and the ground below, he could make out the individual trees of the forest so he figured he was close enough.

He quickly changed his position in the air and pulled on the lever on his pack to release the parachute. The red and gold cloth shot out of the pack and jerked him back as he began to slow his decent. He held on to his pack for dear life as the wind carried him across the tops of the trees. He panicked and reached around for something to slow his descent for he was heading in too fast. Nothing. His eyes widened in fear as a large gust of wind picked up and pushed him towards the trees. He was now barely scaling the tops of the tallest evergreens.

Zuko frantically and uselessly kicked his feet in an attempt to stop it, but the wind had other ideas. Another gust blew and this time slammed him into the trees.

"Oh shit…" he cursed as crashed through the treetops.

He was now below the treetops and the parachute above, which continued to drag him around. Branches and twigs hit him from nearly ever direction as he was pulled through like a rag doll.

He looked forward and saw a particularly large, thick branch rushing forth to collide with him.

Zuko winced and turned his head away.

As soon as he finished his sentence, Zuko felt the wind-knocking pain of the human body colliding with a twelve inch thick oak branch. He gasped and held onto the branch to prevent him from being pulled any further. The parachute, however, had other ideas for it kept trying to yank him away from his branch.

Zuko suddenly remembered his swords and strained his arm back to reach for them. With much struggle, he managed to grab hold of the hilt of one of his broadswords and with one fluid motion, sever the ropes connecting him to the parachute.

The parachute, now released, blew off in the wind. But the sudden release of tension caused Zuko to snap back and fall down to the forest floor below. He screamed as he hit more branches and, eventually, the ground itself. He hit it hard and was immediately knocked unconscious as the leaves and branches from his earlier impacts fell around him.

**Aang. The Spirit World. **

Aang opened his eyes to see a completely different world than the desert wasteland that was once before him. There was no mistaking the pale, eerie aura of the landscape was none other than the Spirit World.

He gulped and rose to his feet. It's been four years since his previous visit to the Spirit World, and that wasn't the most pleasant experience. And this visit seemed even stranger than his last. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something definitely off about this place. Something elusive, hidden. Something dark.

He shrugged it off as his nerves getting the best of him. He had a mission to accomplish; he had to find Avatar Jung.

So with that, he closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts on his Avatar Spirit.

"I need to talk to Avatar Jung," he called unto it.

He waited with his eyes closed.

Nothing happened.

Aang opened his eyes to see for himself. He looked to his left, then his right.

Frustrated he shouted to the whole Spirit World, "I'm looking for Avatar Jung!"

He waited and, again, nothing happened. He huffed and did an about face only to come face to face with the 1,000 year old Avatar Jung.

Aang was startled by his appearance and stumbled back, tripping over a root and falling on the ground.

Avatar Jung looked down at Aang. "You wished to speak to me?" he asked in a ghastly voice.

Aang was at a loss for words as he looked horrified at Jung's appearance. Unlike Roku, or any other Avatar's spirit he'd come in contact with, Jung's was the most horrific, grotesque looking of them all. It's as if he embodied the last physical state he was in before he died. His body was charred and blistered as if he endured the most hellish of fires. His hair was missing, as were his eyebrows, and the rest of his face bore scars that would put Zuko's to shame. In addition to that, his body looked ridiculously thin, though from what little he can make out in the black robes the ancient Avatar wore. And his face, pale white. Like a ghost, not a divine spirit.

"You…" Aang stammered, "you're Avatar Jung?"

Avatar Jung nodded and replied in a cool gravely voice, "What do you want?"

**Zuko. Dempul Peninsula. **

"Where did you find him?" a cool, yet unforgiving voice questioned.

Zuko tilted his head, but it was faint enough not to gain much interest to his captors. He opened his eyes, though, only to find he had been blindfolded.

"About a mile out in the woods," a soft feminine voice replied, "He was unconscious."

"Hmm," the man with the cool voice pondered, "Well he's obviously Fire Nation. But who he is and how he got here is beyond me."

Zuko sighed, he couldn't take much more of this, "Why don't you remove the blindfold and ask me, to find out?"

"He's awake," the man noted, then spoke to the girl, "Close the door. We don't want him seeing out least he be a spy."

Zuko heard footsteps, probably from the girl obeying the man's orders. "I'm not a spy."

Zuko heard the footsteps approach him. "Sure, that's what all spies say."

He felt a tug on his blindfold and within a second, it was off. Zuko looked around and took in his surroundings. He was in some sort of small hut made of sticks, adorned with animal furs as carpet and blankets. It reminded him of the igloos in the Southern Water Tribe, though not nearly as cold.

The only two people in the hut were a young woman his age or a couple years younger, and a middle aged, worn man who would be around his father's age had he been alive today.

Zuko looked down and noticed he was bound to the center support pole jutting from the ground. The knot was good and tight and prevented him from firebending. They must have dealt with firebenders a lot. Maybe they were the Wayward Ones.

"Who are you guys?!" Zuko exclaimed in his usual angry voice, "And why am I tied up?"

"We'll ask the questions, spy," the woman glared at him.

The man smirked, "Dear daughter, he deserved to know who's captured him. After all, he's only going to be killed later on."

Zuko gulped.

The man made eye contact with Zuko, "I am Sokor, leader of the Wayward Ones. And this is my only daughter, Setara."

Zuko's face softened, "You're the Wayward Ones?"

"Very observant," Sokor stated flatly.

"But you're the people I've been looking for," Zuko stated.

"What, the Fire Nation still banishing people to this spot?" Setara antagonized.

"Who are you?!" Sokor spat.

"My name is Fire Lord Zuko. Son of Ozai and Ursa," Zuko confidently stated, "and I come here in peace."

Both looked taken aback by Zuko's proclamation. After a few seconds of silence, it was Sokor that broke the ice. He leaned in closer to Zuko as if looking for something hidden in it.

"Well, well, Setara," Sokor observed, "It appears we are in the presence of my long lost nephew."

**Aang. The Spirit World**

"Wow," Aang noted at a complete loss for words to say to the spirit, "you look nothing like the other Avatars."

Aang got up so he can stand at eyelevel with him.

"After death the Avatar may choose how he wishes to be portrayed as a spirit," Jung replied.

"So why would you choose to look like a fried mummy of a corpse?" Aang asked, demonstrating his natural, curious nature.

Jung glanced down and sighed, "I have committed many horrible sins in my mortal life. Claimed many innocent lives and nearly destroyed the world in the process. All for, what I thought to be, the greater good. And for that reason I decided to punish myself to look like this so that I, nor anyone who saw me, will forget the horrible things I brought unto the world in my lifetime."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Aang stated, "I have been having horrible dreams coupled with the harsh reality of the world in its current state. I need your wisdom."

Jung was unmoved, "What sort of dreams?"

Aang sighed, "The end of the world."

"Have you not dealt with the possibility of the end of the world, like so many Avatars before you?" Jung asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Yes, but not like this," Aang said, "In my dreams, I see my Avatar Spirit rising in an evil form and wiping out the world in an incredible display of power."

Jung's eyes widened slightly in interest.

"I feel that there may be some kind of… Dark Avatar or something that's going to rise," Aang continued.

Jung shook his head, "There can only be one Avatar."

"Even if, say, one were to come back from the dead?"

"No one can return from the dead," Jung replied, "At least not in a state you'd wish to see."

"Then what is it?!" Aang shouted.

Jung sighed, "Aang, I want you to listen closely. And I want these words to sink in as deeply as possible."

Aang nodded and listened.

"The Dark Avatar is," Jung continued, "you."

**Zuko. Dempul Peninsula**

"You're my uncle?!" Zuko asked unbelievably, "Wait, so you're my mother's brother?"

Sokor nodded solemnly.

"Great! Then maybe you can help me," Zuko said.

"Help you?!" Sokor spat, "Why should I help you? It was because of your family that we were all banished here."

Zuko looked down, knowing Sokor was right.

"So you're the new Fire Lord, eh?" Sokor stated, sizing him up, "Must've been a sight to see old Ozai croak. Pity I missed it. I hope the Avatar gave him a horrific, painful death."

"Actually the Avatar spared him," Zuko corrected.

"Pity," Sokor stated, disappointed, "But I'm surprised to see you as the Fire Lord, Zuko. I always figured Azula would be the one to take the throne."

"She's dead too," Zuko stated, lowly.

"By the Avatar?"

Zuko sighed, "Yes."

"So with Ozai and Azula out of the way he let you become Fire Lord, the lesser of three evils?" Sokor smirked.

Zuko lifted his head up defiantly, "I became Fire Lord because I joined the Avatar and helped him stop Sozin's War. I started restoring our nation's honor. And I'm still continuing that now."

Sokor raised an eyebrow, and Setara gave him a quizzical look.

"I came here to personally pardon you and the rest of the Wayward Ones and allow you to come back home."

"Home?!" Setara repeated very excitedly.

"Yes," Zuko nodded, "I'm sorry for being so late about it. Years ago when I first took reign I sent an official letter of pardon to welcome you all back. I don't know what came about it, but I'm here now to heal the horrible scars left on the people by my family."

"Very touching, dear nephew," Sokor said, "but why should we trust the son of the man who banished most of us here in the first place?"

"You have been forgiven," Zuko repeated.

"Forgiveness isn't going to get me my twenty five years back!" Sokor shouted, "After we were banished I organized all the Wayward Ones to settle here in hopes that someday the war would end and Ozai's family eradicated, then a new dawn would emerge for the Fire Nation to allow us back home."

"A new dawn has emerged," Zuko said.

"As long as you family's bloodline rules, the Fire Nation will remain unchanged," Sokor coldly stated.

"I'm sorry," Zuko said.

"Hmph," Sokor responded, "'Sorry'. What would you know about being banished anyway?"

"Plenty," Zuko sighed. There was clearly no getting through to this guy. He was stubborn and bitter, though who could blame him? "Fine," Zuko grumbled, "If you and your people are so complacent here, could you honor one request for me?"

Sokor nodded with a grunt.

Zuko sighed, "I wish to see my mother."

Neither Sokor, nor Setara, said anything for several seconds.

"I'm afraid that will be impossible," Sokor answered.

**Aang. The Spirit World**

"What?!" Aang exclaimed, "How can you say I'm the Dark Avatar?!"

"I can see it plainly written all over your face," Avatar Jung said.

"That's crazy," Aang replied, "Name one evil thing I've done in my lifetime."

"Every Avatar walks that thin line between love and hate," Jung stated, "Some better than others. The Avatar is the sole person in the world who actually possesses the power to do great harm or great good to the world. It all depends on how you use it."

"And everything I've done has been in the name of peace," Aang stated.

"Stealing the soul of Azula was in the name of peace?" Jung questioned, "What about destroying the great library and Wan Shi Tong, all of which predate me by thousands of years? What were those in the name of?"

Aang sighed and looked away. Those two things have been haunting him since the moment he did them. "Azula threatened everything I've been fighting for. She had to be destroyed."

"And Wan Shi Tong?"

Aang closed his eyes. He really didn't have an excuse for that. All he can remember that he was so possessed by his power that he lost control of his inner self. His calm, gentle soul was out the window.

"Exactly," Jung answered for him, "I've gone down the same path once before. And I can tell you right now the end result is not a good one."

"But what must I do to preserve peace and prevent the end of the world?" Aang asked.

"Your journey will be a difficult one," Jung said, "It's not like when you faced Fire Lord Ozai, or even Azula. Here you'll be forced to fight your demons, both inside and out. Darkness and chaos have spread from the Spirit World to the mortals'. And you'll be forced to make the gravest of sacrifices. You're on a slippery slope right now, Aang. The things you want, peace and the survival of all, are not the decisions the Avatar must make. Your duty is to the balance of the world. Peace is unobtainable to mortals, and the end of the world will come if the gods and spirits will it. Know your limits, Aang, and you will not repeat the mistakes I made."

And with that Avatar Jung dissipated with a wisp of smoke into thin air. Aang sighed and sat back down, covering his face with his hands. What was he to do? What could he do?

**Zuko. Dempul Peninsula**

"What do you mean it's impossible?!" Zuko exclaimed. This guy was really starting to irk him. "I haven't seen my mother in twenty five years and I demand that you bring her here!"

Sokor laughed, "You demand it?! Funny, you don't look like you're in a position to be making demands."

"Do it or I will see to it that this place is erased from the map," Zuko growled.

"So we go from promising forgiveness to threatening to destroy us?" Sokor cocked his head slightly, "Not a good way to win me over."

"Just tell me where she is and I'll be on my way," Zuko pleaded.

"I wish I could," Sokor stated, checking his nails in much the same way Azula did, "but she disappeared long ago."

"What?"

"She didn't agree with how I ran things here, so she ventured deep into the Earth Kingdom," Sokor stated, "Had to have been almost twenty years ago."

"And you have no idea where?" Zuko asked.

"No."

Zuko sighed, realizing how much more difficult his mission was coming. "Then just let me go and I'll leave your people for good."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, your highness," Sokor grinned, "See you being here makes it easier for me exact revenge on the Fire Nation."

"What are you saying?" Zuko asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Please, like I'm going to tell you," Sokor rolled his eyes. He walked over to Zuko and tightened up the ropes. When finished, he patted him on the shoulder and rose with a smirk on his face. "Get nice and comfortable, dear nephew. You're going to be here for a while."

And with that Sokor walked out. Setara gave one last compassionate glance at her bound cousin before following her father out of the hut.

**Sokor and Setara. Dempul Village**

Sokor and Setara walked through the small village that was made up of dozens of other fellow Wayward Ones. The village was comprised of little more than poorly assembled huts made of mud and branches, and tents made loosely from various types of scrap cloth. They appeared to be a nomadic people, though weren't used to the idea of picking up and moving with the change of the seasons.

Setara looked at her father curiously. "Why did you lie to him?" she asked.

Sokor put on a sly smirk, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Setara stepped in front of him, blocking him from walking forward. "Yes you do. You know exactly where Aunt Ursa is."

Sokor sighed, "We can't tell him."

"And why not?"

Sokor brushed past her and continued down his path, "He doesn't deserve this kind of closure. He doesn't deserve to be happy. Not after what his ancestors did."

Setara rushed to catch up with him, "Why should we punish a son for what his father did? The man came here practically begging to have us back."

Sokor chuckled, "Cute, isn't it?"

"He's your nephew!" she exclaimed,

This time it was Sokor who stopped abruptly, "Did it ever occur to you that he will upset the very life I worked so hard to make possible?"

Setara shook her head silently.

"You were too young to understand," Sokor continued, "But I shaped and made this tribe into what it is today. I paid for it with twenty five years of my life."

"So why don't we have a new beginning back home in the Fire Nation?" Setara asked.

Sokor smirked, "We will. But, we'll return home on our own terms."

And with that Sokor turned and walked away, leaving Setara standing there. She was conflicted. At one hand she felt her loyalty to her father and what he did to make their tribe survive through the years. But on the other hand, her curiosity and idealistic nature wanted her to believe her newfound cousin.

She shook her head and headed the opposite way back to their hut. At least there she could sleep on what she wanted to do. Her father was in no hurry to kill his biggest bargaining tool.

**Setara. Sokor and hers hut**

Setara lied down on her bed, if you can call it that. It really was nothing more than a few dingy wool blankets that were probably older than her and a mattress made up of a thin layer of pine needles. She found herself jealous of Zuko, thinking he probably slept on down feathers and silk sheets his whole life. He wouldn't know anything about sleeping in the dirt for days on in. Spoiled Fire Lord.

But on the other hand, she couldn't help but want to know more about her newest known family member. Her father rarely told her of their history other than their ties with the royal family and Avatar Roku. Zuko was a mystery to her, as was his entire line. Sure, his family seemed to have more bad than good, but he seemed like an almost genuinely good person, despite his hot headed behavior.

Her eyes drifted past the fire and to her father's side of the hut. There by his bed, where at a much simpler time both her parents slept, was the footlocker he treasured more than anything. A mysterious box that was strictly off limits to her as a child, and as she matured she learned to forget about the box's contents. She simply figured they were nothing more than sentimental keepsakes he and her mother kept from the homeland.

Setara blinked as an epiphany hit her. Her father was out fishing with some of the other men of the village and wouldn't be back for at least an hour. She could easily open it and take a peak at what's inside.

With that in mind she rolled off her bed and crept over to the footlocker. Why she crept, she had no idea. No one could hear, let alone care about what she was doing in the hut.

She reached the footlocker and reached her hand over it. She cautiously hesitated, never having been this close to it without reprimand. Her fingers traced the latch. There was no lock on it for locks were hard to come by in their way of life. With a deep breath she flipped open the latch and pried open the lid. She reached inside and pulled out the first thing she saw; an old piece of parchment. Setara gasped as she read its contents.

**Zuko. The Hut**

Zuko tugged at his ropes in an attempt to loosen them. He had overheard earlier from Sokor that he and some of the men would be out fishing, which gave him the best chance to escape. That is, if he could actually get out.

He struggled again, but the knot refused to budge. Sokor sure knew how to tie a decent knot.

Zuko stopped, out of breath. He inhaled deeply and used his Breath of Fire to try and burn through the ropes. Unfortunately it only singed part of the ropes and burnt his hand.

"Ahh!" Zuko shouted as the flames burnt the skin.

Just then he heard the door open. He looked up and noticed Setara standing in the doorframe.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

Zuko glared, "None of your business."

Setara took a step forward, letting the cloth door close behind her. She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled something out. Zuko held his breath as he realized his fears to come true. Setara brandished a small knife and held it at the ready.

"Wait!" Zuko panicked as she approached him, "Don't do it. You need me alive, you know it!"

"Quiet!" she hissed.

Setara knelt down to him and Zuko turned his head away and shut his eyes as she lowered the blade. He heard the sound of cutting and then quickly felt the tension on the ropes disappear.

He opened his eyes and held his hands in front of him for the first time in hours. "Wait, what?" he looked up at her confused.

Setara put the knife back in her pocket. She then pulled a rolled piece of parchment from her other one and handed it to Zuko. "Read this."

Zuko stood up and read over the paper.

"Look familiar?" Setara asked.

Zuko glanced over it. The paper was old, but far from ancient. His eyes widened as he recognized his own handwriting, and they grew even wider when he recognized his own red Fire Lord seal stamped at the bottom of the page. "This is the document I sent to you guys sixteen years ago!"

"My father hid it," Setara explained.

"Ok, that explains why you guys never came," Zuko said, "So what do you want me to do about it?"

"Nothing," Setara said, "You did your part, but I plan to expose this letter to the others."

"You seem pretty complacent here," Zuko noted.

"Only because I don't know any better," Setara said, "Trust me, I want to go back to the Fire Nation. I want to live in civilization. I want to be reunited with the rest of our family, but my father has held us here as prisoners for years."

"You're going to do this all by yourself?" Zuko wondered.

Setara shook her head, "No. I'm going to find the one person I know they'll listen to."

"Who?" Zuko asked.

Setara reached into the same pocket and turned out another piece of paper. This one was a map of the northern Earth Kingdom, with a clear route traced from Dempul to clear across to the Northern Granite Mountains north of Ba Sing Se. "What is this?" he asked.

"It's a map to your mother."

**Sokor. His Hut**

Sokor walked into the hut carrying a caught fish on a string. He looked around the small hut to see his daughter gone. He glanced back outside. Most of the villagers were back in their dwellings for the night and she was not in sight. He frowned and stepped all the way inside.

Once inside he surveyed the inside of their little dwelling. Something seemed off to him. He walked over to his bed and dropped the dead fish on his footlocker. It was then he realized that the latch for it had been flipped up like someone had opened it. Curious, he pulled the fish off and opened it up.

He glared with the anger of a thousand dragons when he saw his most important keepsake, the one thing that kept the status quo, was missing.

"Zuko!" he growled and slammed the lid shut.

Sokor spun around and stormed out of his hut.

**Zuko and Setara. The Hut**

Zuko looked at her incredulously, "You mean this is the map of where my mother is?!"

"Yes," she answered impatiently, "Now, if you don't mind, I managed to secure two ostrich-horses away from the village, and I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible."

Zuko nodded and stashed the map in his pocket. He quickly gathered up his broadswords and his rucksack, and threw them both over his shoulder.

"Ready?" Setara asked.

Zuko nodded and they started to make their way outside. Suddenly there was a bright orange flash of a fireball that exploded right near the entrance which pushed both of them back.

"What the…" Zuko questioned.

He looked up to see Sokor standing in the charred entrance of the hut. Zuko stood up defiantly. "Out of our way!"

"You are not leaving this hut!" Sokor stated defiantly, "Release my daughter, and I promise not to kill you as slowly."

Setara stood up, "I am nobody's prisoner."

"Don't tell me you're throwing in your lot with him," Sokor scoffed, "Remember what he did to your family!"

"I do," Setara said, "But I now realize that our family is not as pure as you make it."

"What are you talking about?" Sokor raised an eyebrow.

Setara took out the parchment Zuko sent years ago and held it up. "Does this look familiar to you!"

"Give the map back, sweetheart," he feigned a smile, trying to win her over.

"No!" Setara shoved the paper back in her pocket, "I'm taking this to Ursa. She's the only other person, besides you, who the people will actually listen to."

"You will do no such thing, I forbid it," Sokor growled, "Now, I command you to give me that paper!"

"I am not listening to you anymore," Setara stated. And with that, she jumped forward and unleashed a powerful stream of fire from her hands.

Sokor was quick to react, but completely blindsided by her attack. He was only able to create a small fire shield to absorb most of the impact, but was blown back several feet.

Zuko, with his mouth agape, looked at her, impressed.

"Come on!" Setara shouted at Zuko and she bolted out the entrance.

Zuko blinked then snapped back into reality. He dashed out of the hut and ran after her.

Both took off through the village as fast as they could. The blow Setara delivered to her father was only able to knock him out for so long.

"Wait up!" Zuko called out after her. Damn her and her young age. He was definitely getting old if he could barely keep up with a girl in her early twenties.

Back in the village, a crowd grew around the pile of smoldering embers that buried Sokor. A few seconds later a furious, deranged Sokor incinerated the wood pile over him and leaped out. Without a second thought, he charged in the direction of the two escapees.

"Come on," Setara shouted to Zuko who was falling behind. "We're almost there."

She pushed through the brush and into a clearing. There stood two ostrich-horses grazing in the in the meadow. She heard some crunching of leaves and twigs and turned to see Zuko come up behind her.

"We better get moving," he stated, out of breath, "Could've sworn I heard ol' Uncle Sokor coming after us."

Setara nodded, "Let's go."

She dashed forward to the ostrich-horses, while Zuko stopped to catch his breath.

"What's taking you so long?" Setara called back, "You getting old or something?"

"I am not old!" Zuko shouted back at her. He took a deep breath to calm his breathing and took off after her.

Setara hopped aboard the first ostrich-horse followed by Zuko on the second.

"Yip, yip," Zuko shouted to his, however the ostrich-horse did not respond.

Setara turned to him with a raised eyebrow, "'Yip, yip'?"

Zuko shrugged, "Too many dealings with a sky bison."

Setara shook her head, clearly missing the source of the inside joke.

Behind them a blast of fire scorched a hole through the brush and Sokor jumped into the clearing. He held his fists at the ready. "Get off that thing now!"

Setara and Zuko turned and glared at Sokor.

"Not happening," Zuko stated.

Zuko and Setara both kicked the sides of their ostrich-horses. The animals bolted off at quick speeds out of the clearing.

Sokor let out a scream of frustration and fired one, last wild fireball at them, clearly missing and setting a nearby bush on fire. Having clearly lost the battle, he glared off in their direction as the forest burned around him. He slowly reached in hi pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. A map identical to the one Setara stole. The chase had only just begun.

**Aang. The Spirit World**

Aang sat on the stone pentagon from which he entered. He had been contemplating his next course of action for hours now.

Although Avatar Jung had sound advice, it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to save everyone on the planet and give everlasting peace to the world. He was tired of war, tired of loss. He wanted it all to end, but how?

Aang heard the words echoed by Koh four years ago, "_Life-bending. An ancient, and powerful form of bending… The power of a god in your hands."_

Could Koh really be the answer he's been searching for?

Aang shook his head. It couldn't be. Koh was one of the most vile things about the universe. One Spirit he wouldn't mind destroying. But then he thought back to what Roku said a few days ago. Something about seeking out the knowledge of Koh to prevent the end of the world.

Aang sighed. Was that the only answer? He knew full well what happened to Jung and his dealings with Koh. And Aang definitely didn't want to turn into a monster.

But Jung's advice didn't sit well with him. Stand by and watch the world rip itself apart. What kind of Avatar advice was that? Aang knew his duty was solely to the world and he promised himself a long time ago he would do whatever was necessary to save it.

Aang rose to his feet. He now knew what he had to do.

He will seek out Koh.

Aang turned and walked in the direction of the mangrove forest where Koh dwelled. Hopefully there he would find his destiny.

**Aang's body. Si Wong Desert. **

Aang's body sat motionless in the darkness of the desert. His skin burnt from being in the constant sun all day.

Behind him a duo of sand-benders hopped off their sand boat and looked down into the crater.

"Hello?!" one of them called out to Aang.

No response.

"Come on," the first sand-bender said to the other and they ran down into the crater.

They reached Aang who still appeared unmoved. The sand-benders were amazed at his glowing tattoos and eyes as he sat there in the dirt.

"What is it?" the second sand-bender asked, nervously.

The first sand-bender rubbed his bearded chin. "I know who he is. We had a run in with someone who glowed like this nearly seventeen years ago."

The second one shrugged.

"The Avatar," the first sand-bender stated.

"By the gods…" the second one muttered.

They both looked to the east. The early traces of dawn were approaching.

"Grab him," the first one ordered, "The sun will be up soon. We'll take him back to the village."

They grabbed both ends of him and hoisted him back up to the sand boat. Once loaded up, the first one looked back and earthbended the ground underneath Aang's glider and shot it back to the sand boat. As soon as he caught it and stowed it safely on board, they kicked up the sand and took off to the sand-bender's village.

**A/N: Ok folks, I'm back. Not the best chapter I've written and I hate chapters with lots of exposition, but the story needed it. And sorry, no RoKya, ShaoZek, Kataang, MaiKo, or Jian-Tom. But, rest assured you'll see some more of at least three of those ships in the next chapter. So. . . yeah. R&R and I'll try and keep consistent about posting. No promises, though. College apps are up and I'm trying to transfer to film school. But I promise to finish this story by the time The Last Airbender is released. **

**Peace, my friends.  
**


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